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The Road to Mordor: The mounted combat verdict
It's been months since Riders of Rohan greatly expanded Lord of the Rings Online in several ways, and I have yet to touch on its most central feature. I've been putting off having "the talk" about mounted combat due to wanting to spend enough time with it. Every week I thought about putting down my opinion, and then I'd be like, "No, I should give it some more time. More time." Mounted combat is a tricky system to judge, I'm finding. It's so incredibly central to the newest expansion, and it's clear that Turbine has big plans to expand upon this system for the future. It certainly was a gutsy risk to introduce a new mode of fighting into the game at this juncture (because we all know how much people like change), and I've seen people all over the spectrum on it. Some love it, some loathe it, some resent it, and some gamely accept it. I think I've clocked enough time on horseback at this point to deliver my own verdict on mounted combat. Well, a partial verdict at least. It's never a good thing to settle on a final opinion on something that's constantly growing and changing, right?
The Road to Mordor: Looking back and looking forward
As long-time readers of this column know, this is about the time when I reflect on my personal wish list that I made for the previous year while making a new list for the upcoming one. After all, you can't go on an adventure without a long list or two organizing everything! On the whole, 2012 was a pretty great year for Lord of the Rings Online. The expansion into Rohan, mounted combat, and the addition of a great new soundtrack added so much to the game, giving us a spectacular high-level zone that's full of lore and amazing setpieces. The devs have been smoothing out the middle of the game with a Moria revamp, open tapping, and remote looting, which should make leveling that much better. Players had four sizable updates to consume. Even Mac users had something to cheer as Turbine created a client for the platform. Of course, it wasn't all peaches and cream. The expansion faced a delay, the pricing and features of Riders of Rohan stoked controversy, and we're still waiting for the second half of the promised instance cluster to arrive. The store kept stepping on people's toes, from the barter wallet to the infamous hobby horse. And the new festival, the Farmer's Faire, was kind of a dud. So let's see whether LotRO fulfilled any of my wishes from last year, and then I'll share my desires for 2013!
LotRO's team fields live dev chat
A gaggle of Turbine developers sat down this afternoon to field scores of Lord of the Rings Online questions from the community in a live dev chat. Among the topics discussed were mounted combat, earlier zone revamps, class updates, and PvMP options. One of the burning topics concerned possible player housing improvements. Turbine said that it needed to address the vacant neighborhoods first, but was moving in that direction: "All I can say is that we have a lot of devs interested in doing some serious home improvement." We have the full chat transcript for you after the jump, starring Senior Producer Aaron Campbell, Lead Systems Designer Matt Zimmitti, World Designer Matt Fahey, Senior Content Designer Lauren Salk, Senior Content Designer Joe Barry, and Community Manager Rick Heaton.
LotRO details remaining Moria revamp
Way back in May, Turbine expended a fair bit of resources to revamp half of Moria, the large underground complex that was the centerpiece of Lord of the Rings Online's second expansion. With Update 9, the team is completing the task, paving the way for better transportation and a smoother questing experience. In a new dev diary, the team shares a few of the pertinent details of the remaining revamp. The bottom line? "Each zone now has many more quests, a simple questing path, fewer monsters, and hopefully no more frustration with excessive back-and-forth questing." Update 9's revamp covers the areas of Zelem-melek, The Redhorn Lodes, The Flaming Deeps, Nud-melek, The Dimrill Dale, and The Foundations of Stone. The team added 70 new quests, removed some deadwood, and added the remote quest bestowal system that is being used in Riders of Rohan.
LotRO talks Update 9 instance cluster
The first half of Riders of Rohan's instance cluster is arriving with Lord of the Rings Online's Update 9, and the devs are excited to talk about the variety of experiences and challenges that went into making the trio of three-man dungeons. A new dev diary on the site gives the story overview for Webs of the Scuttledells, Seat of the Great Goblin, and Iorbar's Peak as well as a few behind-the-scenes notes. Developer Pinion discussed how the team wanted to make the return to Goblin-town special: "I wanted to ensure that this new interpretation stayed true to the source material while still providing a very different experience from our existing instance in the Misty Mountains. With all the different varieties of goblins that make their home here, I felt it greatly important to distinguish them both in appearance and in drastically varied abilities." A major change coming to these instances deals with loot. Not only is there remote looting for these dungeons, but each treasure chest will automatically reward class-appropriate gear for each player.
The Road to Mordor: Hobbits, hobby horses, and holidays
Whether you've finished Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, are still trotting your way through it, or haven't yet touched the new high-level content, Turbine's got more goods coming your way. Update 9 should be here relatively soon(tm), as it is currently finishing up frenzied testing on Bullroarer. I'm definitely excited about the changes coming with the update. Unlike the expansion, this update has something for everyone, whether it be worldwide open tapping, a much-improved stable interface, a new player theater in Bree, lootable players in PvMP, the second half of Moria's revamp, the updated Yule festival, or three new scalable dungeons. On the whole, this update looks as if it will go a good way to shoring up some of the weaker spots of the game. However, three things have really caught my attention this week, and not all of them are as positive. I want to talk about the tie-in to the Hobbit, the new festival grind, and a certain $50 cash shop item that's been the buzz of the community. Let's get started!
The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan
One of the reasons that I continue to support the expansion model is that it truly does seem to motivate developers to improve the game noticeably. Nobody likes "more of the same," especially in MMOs, and expansions are a great way to freshen up the title and make it feel new again. Riders of Rohan does that for me. For years now, we've seen Turbine make its biggest leaps forward with expansions. Sometimes this is in sheer size or new technologies or graphical improvements or storytelling or a combination of any of these. Lord of the Rings Online has come a long, long way from old Archet and the meandering paths of Volume 1, and this expansion actually makes it painful to return to the days and lands of yore. I've found five frills that have charmed me in Riders of Rohan so far. Would you like to hear them? Good. While not all of the following features are brand-new to the game, they are certainly more noticeable than ever before and are used to greater effect.
The Road to Mordor: Scratching the surface of Rohan
I don't know about you, but Riders of Rohan has genuinely made me excited to log into Lord of the Rings Online once more. Don't get me wrong; I always like the game, but some days are more of the "same old, same old" than others. This expansion, however, is like a fresh spring wind sweeping away the stale memories of yesterday. This is good stuff. I'm sure many of you are already level 85 and masters of the horse, whereas I am but a lowly level 77 and am cursing at my war-steed because it handles like a drunken garbage scow. I don't fly through expansions uber-quickly, but in this case I don't feel the need to. I want to savor all of this. I want to save a more intricate discussion of mounted combat until next time, so for today I would like to look at the initial stages of the Rohan story and how Turbine is handling the franchise as it moves deeper into The Two Towers territory.
Jukebox Heroes: Riders of Rohan's soundtrack
It was a good day last week, a very good day indeed, when news that Turbine had finally released the Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan soundtrack for the enjoyment of all. I wasn't sure before that moment whether this score would see a proper release, but I had hopes because Turbine had done so with the original score and Mines of Moria. Riders of Rohan is the first major addition to LotRO's soundscape since Moria, and I'm sure I wasn't alone in clasping my hands together in excitement when I heard that Chance Thomas was returning to score it. We had heard several tracks from it leading up to the expansion's release, but the big question was whether the quality of these pieces was an anomaly or was indicative of the entire soundtrack's excellence. I wish you could see me grinning right now for the answer to that. Riders of Rohan instantly jumped to my top 10 favorite MMO soundtracks of all time, and I couldn't stop gushing about it to friends as I gave it my initial listen-through. Hit the jump to hear my highlights from it.
Massively's LotRO Riders of Rohan launch-day roundup
When you first heard about Lord of the Rings Online, you probably had an idea of which areas from the Lord of the Rings lore you'd want to visit and which events you'd like to take part in. Not all of the areas in Middle-earth were part of LotRO when it launched, but with each expansion the game world gets a bit more complete. Developer Turbine has been hard at work developing iconic areas like the Mines of Moria and Isengard, but the zone players have been anticipating the most is the Plains of Rohan. The Riders of Rohan expansion goes live today, opening the visually stunning Plains of Rohan area and introducing tons of new content, class updates and gameplay changes. Developers have been careful to capture the feel of the plains in not only the area's art style but also its impressive musical score. The Riders of Rohan expansion adds a new mounted combat feature that lets players fight on customisable war horses. The open plains are filled with roving warbands of orcs and other challenges to be overcome. Read on for a run-down of all the latest news on the Riders of Rohan expansion.
Prepare for Riders of Rohan's launch with patch notes, FAQ, and a trailer
Many a Lord of the Rings Online fan is eager to delve into the Riders of Rohan expansion today as soon as the servers come back online. But once prospective warsteed owners set foot in the lands of Rohan, what do they do? Turbine offers a handy launch day FAQ to answer important questions like "How do I get there?" and "Where's my loot sparkle?" The guide offers gems such as: "A server is never late, LOTRO players. Nor is it early. It comes up precisely when Turbine means it to." Players can also bide their time reading through the hefty expansion patch notes, which feature juicy tidbits on all the new goodies and changes. For a quick guide to more information and impressions on the expansion, check out Massively's pre-launch guide. And check out the launch trailer after the break.
The Road to Mordor: Riders of Rohan pre-launch guide
The other night in kin chat, I said how I'm just not mentally ready for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan. My Captain may be prepared to saddle up and venture forth, but the notion that we're on the verge of one of the most significant expansions this game has ever seen is taking me a little while to absorb. Fortunately, many of my friends assured me that I wasn't alone in this. With just two days to go until players can head into Rohan, we're running out of time to prepare, and I'm not just talking about pre-purchasing the game (although that too). Riders of Rohan contains a host of content and changes, not the least of which is the new mounted combat system. I don't know about you, but I hate heading into expansions completely blind, so I decided to spend this week putting together a big roundup of everything you need to know about LotRO's fourth expansion. Read well, my friends, but get your rest as well. You may not get it this coming week.
Newest LotRO screenshots tempt us with Rohan's offerings
As if waiting until Monday to run through the fields of Rohan isn't hard enough for Lord of the Rings Online fans, Turbine has released new screenshots of the landscapes found in Riders of Rohan. Filled with vibrant vistas, quaint villages, and even a fight or two, these images show a variety of scenes from the life and lands players can expect once the expansion releases. Get your fix of Rohan this weekend with the screenshots in the gallery below. To learn more about what's coming, check out Massively's hands-on experience and watch tomorrow for our guide to Rohan as you prepare for your own adventures! [Source: Turbine press release]%Gallery-158706%
Lord of the Rings Online reveals Riders of Rohan soundtrack
Whether you play Lord of the Rings Online or not, there's no doubt that the game boasts stunning visuals and an impressive music score. With less than a week to go until the Riders of Rohan expansion is released, today Turbine teased players with a sample of the expansion's incredible soundtrack. To capture the sound of Rohan, composer Chance Thomas spent five years digging through the Lord of the Rings lore and pulling out every reference to sound or music for inspiration. The result is an orchestral soundtrack with an open and hopeful tone that captures the feel of the plains of Rohan. Chance's aim with the soundtrack is to really set the tone for each area and to evoke emotions from players that will enhance their game experiences. "Every part of Middle-earth has its own character," he explains, "and we've tried to give it its own voice." Read on to watch the Sound of Rohan preview video in HD or preview all 23 tracks in the iTunes store.
LotRO dev diary spotlights roving warbands
Travel through the lands of Rohan will be no ride in the park according to the latest Lord of the Rings Online dev diary. Developers outlined the addition of warbands to Riders of Rohan, describing the roving mobs of mobs as replacements for world bosses. With no restrictions on size or type of mob, players can happen upon any variety of warbands patrolling Rohan, from a single troll to packs of Warg-riders. The idea behind the warbands was to give players the feel of world bosses -- and the fight or flight feelings had when stumbling upon them -- without forcing spawn camping. When players travels bring them into the vicinity of a warband, a quest will pop up offering a quest to defeat the rampaging horde. Utilizing the open tapping method, any player will be able to participate regardless of group affiliation. Rewards will then be delivered via the quest, not loot drop, allowing players to freely assist one another when confronting these new packs of foes. For more about Riders of Rohan, check out Massively's exclusive hands-on experience.
Juicy new LOTRO images released
The days until the release of the Riders of Rohan expansion for Lord of the Rings Online are speeding by. With less than two weeks left before the expansion goes live, Turbine has released a whole bushel of eye candy in the form of screenshots. Riders of Rohan will allow plays to experience some iconic moments in the journey of the Ring: Frodo's angsty deliberation on how best to get to Mordor, the corruption and redemption of Boromir, and the breaking of the Fellowship. Get a preview of what's to come by taking a spin through our Riders of Rohan gallery, where we've collected screenshots old and new for your viewing pleasure.%Gallery-158706%[Source: Turbine press release]
From warhorses to hobby horses: A ride through LotRO's Rohan
I have to admit, every bit of news for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan that has come out has been a little stab in my heart. Is the news that bad? On the contrary, it is too good! But because of my notorious uber-casual gaming style, I had little hope of seeing the content anytime before the 2016 presidential elections; stalled in my low 60s, I am ineligible to participate in LotRO's upcoming content. Suddenly, all of my time spent wandering the beauty of Middle-earth, playing music, visiting player-run events, and participating in festivals seemed a less-than-ideal way to spend my time. But then fate intervened: I received an invitation to get a first-hand look at Riders of Rohan with a tour guided by Senior Designer Joe Barry and Senior Producer Aaron Campbell. Knowing that participating would be a double-edged sword (getting a taste only to know I couldn't have more), I still jumped at the chance. I'll just deal with the disappointment later, I thought. For a brief time, I got to immerse myself in Rohan and get a look at what awaits players when the expansion launches on October 15th. And between rebuilding an entire town, hobby horse races, and riding warsteeds, I am psyched-up to actually level and take part in all that RoR will offer.%Gallery-158706%
The Road to Mordor: Why LotRO's classes need a shakeup
In a recent post about the Riders of Rohan beta, blogger Doc Holiday wrote a criticism of LotRO's lackluster class development: "Think about it, what have our characters actually gotten since Moria? Outside of revamps (which are always needed as games age and don't really count) there's been almost no progression of our characters outside of gaining morale." For this I have two words in response: hear, hear! I've been thinking about this a lot since last week's imaginary restart scenario and even before. There's a reason that rerolling a character in Lord of the Rings Online has such appeal, even with a mountain of content behind it. It's a character that actually develops noticeably before your eyes, not slugs through content. Today I want to examine why I agree with Holiday about the stagnation of high-level classes and how the devs can shake up the status quo to make character development exciting once more.
LotRO explains history of mounted combat
As the core feature for Lord of the Rings Online's upcoming Riders of Rohan expansion, mounted combat is understandably the focus of many player concerns and questions. To hopefully answer a few, Turbine's unleashed a horse-sized developer diary about how mounted combat came to be and how it functions in the game right now. The diary begins by recalling the history of mounts in the game, back to the very earliest days when they were barely implemented in time for launch. The notion of mounted combat went from insurmountable to a strict on-rails system to a much more free-form system. It also dropped several ideas along the way, such as momentum, horse attacks, and purely generic combat skills. War-steeds will take some getting used to, according to the devs: "Probably the very first thing you notice when you ride your War-steed for the first time is that it moves completely differently than your standard horse or goat. The War-steed is a large creature and its part of a much larger system, one that requires some skill, time, and practice to master."
Turbine releases new LotRO video dev diary and Harvestmath Festival screens
A major component of the Riders of Rohan expansion for Lord of the Rings Online is the epic journey of the fellowship. In the latest video dev diary, developers discuss the game's return to the core of the Lord of the Rings story. It is during this part of the adventure that the war in Middle-earth gains momentum and the fellowship falls to pieces. You can watch the dev diary after the break. Turbine has also released a number of screenshots highlighting this year's Harvestmath Festival, which is going on now through October 14th. During the festival, players can explore the Haunted Burrow beneath the Party Tree, participate in games of skill, join the horse races, and even play tricks on various citizens of Middle-earth. New Harvestmath-themed housing items as well as a new Harvest-brew steed are available. Check out the Harvestmath images below. [Source: Turbine press release]%Gallery-32889%
