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Turbine picks DX10 Screenshot Contest winners for Week 2
As if people with GeForce 8800 GT video cards weren't lucky enough, Turbine has been hosting a screenshot contest just for them on the official The Lord of the Rings Online website. Players submit screenshots of the game running in DirectX 10 and Turbine posts the best screenshots each week.The water effects in LotRO are jaw-droppingly gorgeous; last week's winners both focused on those. Now this week's winners have been selected, and water still plays a part in one of the screenshots (pictured above), but it's not the sole focus. It's too bad none of the winning screenshots are presented in a variety of wallpaper resolutions. They would make excellent desktop backgrounds.Still, they're nice to look at. Enter the contest yourself if you think you have l33t virtual photography skillz!
As the Worlds Turn: Gluttons for punishment.
"There you are, brave warrior. Tales of your valorous deeds have spread like wildfire throughout my court and now you stand before me. But as my heart is lifted by your presence, the plight of our people weighs heavily upon my crown. I fear the Borderlands are lost. Ancient enemies hide in the shadows waiting for a mere moment of weakness. But you, you are our light in this darkness. You are the harbinger of peace and better days. The kingdom, the people, needs you to be the hero of which legends are made. But first, I need you to take this bushel of apples to Farmer Poopypants across town. He's going to make me a pie!" Ouch. If you've played MMO's for longer than five minutes, chances are you've run into a quest like this one. If it isn't apples for Poopypants it's the letter for Sir I'm-too-lazy-to-go-into-town-to-get-my-own-damn-mail quest. A good number of quests in MMO's range from the silly to the downright ridiculous. But I'm not here to talk about silly quests. That would be a painful endeavor that my intestines aren't up to taking. What I'd like to talk about is why we as players subject ourselves to preposterous quests and other strange, bizarre, and mildly offensive game notions to play our precious MMOs. So, sit back, pop some ibuprofen, crack open your last bottle of GameFuel and prepare yourself. It's going to get ugly.
Turbine apologizes for downtime with gifts
We reported yesterday that Turbine's login servers for The Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Asheron's Call were down all day. They've since come back online, and Turbine has apologized to the subscribers to those games by giving them some small gifts.Players of all three games will have their subscriptions extended by one day, essentially making yesterday free. Additionally, players will receive in-game items. DDO players will each receive one Candy Cane with 30 charges of Moderate Heal. LotRO players will receive five Hope-boosting Scented Candles. And AC players will get increased drop rates (that's the superior gift, we think).Listen, Turbine; you can't buy our love!Wait, increased drop rates? Okay, never mind, maybe you can.
Angmar's Hill-people are the focus of a new Lorebook entry
Turbine's Lorebook continues its focus on Angmar with a new entry on Donnvail, a village of Hill-people (we promise, no Lothar references; whoops, too late!) who live under the oppressive rule of the false king Mordirith. The people of Donnvail are friendly to the players (who arrive in Angmar as representatives of the Dúnedain Rangers) because visitors from the outside are in the position to loosen the yoke Mordirith has around the Hill-people's necks.Angmar is one of the higher-level regions in The Lord of the Rings Online and has been the subject of several of Turbine's recent Lorebook entries. It's a cool place, but it would be nice to see some entries on other areas as well.
Ten Ton Hammer demystifies the Forsaken Inn
If you're nearing level 20 in The Lord of the Rings Online, it will be nigh impossible to avoid spending some time with the Forsaken Inn as your base of operations. The inn's prominence in LotRO is surprising since it's a place that only appeared in a single line of the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien.Since every freep in all of Middle-earth inevitably spends at least a little time at the Forsaken Inn, Ten Ton Hammer decided it would be a great idea to catalog every single quest connected to the place. Their new Forsaken Inn Quest Guide not only lists all the quests, but their levels and objectives. In some cases, there's even information on how to complete the objectives.So if you're planning a journey down the Great East Road, the guide will be a good thing to bring with you.
You shall not pass... LotRO's login servers
Lord of the RIngs Online went down for maintenance this morning and has yet to come back up over 12 hours later. Turbine took down the game and its forums for routine maintenance today promising to have everything back up in a few hours. That turned into a few more hours. And some more on top of that. They claim the forums are currently up but I accessing them is still hit and miss. When I do get through, I see a message saying the forums are being rolled back to 4:30am this morning and anything posted since then will be lost.The game servers are NOT being rolled back. Just the forums.There is no ETA as of this writing (10:21pm EST), but Turbine has promised that they have "all hands on deck" to get the game servers back up. For any updates, keep an eye on this LotRO page.
MMOGology: End game means game over for casual players
At long last I finally hit level 70 in World of Warcarft! Thank you, thank you! I know many of you out there probably hit 70 a month or two after the launch of Burning Crusade (almost a year ago), but being the alt-a-holic and casual player that I am, this was a significant accomplishment for me. I never achieved maximum level in Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, or City of Heroes because I've always had a limited amount of time to devote to gaming; typically an hour or two a night. By the time I was midway through playing those other games, a new game came along and stole my attention. World of Warcraft is the only MMOG I've played where I've hit the maximum level, and now I've hit it twice. A little over a year ago I hit 60 and enjoyed several months at the top of the food chain before Burning Crusade was released and added another 10 levels of questing and grinding. In any case, maxing level is a big accomplishment for a casual player like myself. So at level 70 I'd accumulated enough gold to buy my flying mount, and for the next few nights I flew all over the Outlands. I had fun getting shot down by fell cannons and torched by dragons in areas that I discovered were apparently no-fly zones. But after the shiny newness of flight began to wear off I realized I was beginning to get the same feeling I had when I finally hit 60. Now what? I know for most people, hitting max level means the fun part finally starts. You can finally go after the great gear, do all the fun raids and engage in end game PvP like arena combat. As a casual player though, I've started to realize that end game content means even more of a time commitment than leveling up did. And for a casual player like myself, that might just mean game over.
Community-driven PvMP guide helps you kill good guys
The Lord of the Rings Online's PvP system is unique. In the main PvE game, you can't play as an evil soldier who serves Sauron, the Witch-king, or Saruman; you can only play as a member of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Obviously, when every one's on the same side, coming up with a good PvP scenario becomes problematic.Turbine solved the problem by letting players log into pre-made but customizable evil characters whose functions are limited to PvP. Other players take their normal good-guy characters into the battlefield to fight the "Monster Players." It works pretty well. The PvP in LotRO is surprisingly deep for something that at present occurs in only one zone.Deep means complex, though; there's a lot to learn. That's why fans at the official LotRO forums decided to put together a comprehensive strategy guide to playing a Monster Character. It's a great resource, and the community is still updating it with new strategies.
Turbine selects the first DirectX 10 screenshot contest winners
Last week we reported that the LotRO crew at Turbine would be having a screenshot contest to promote how awesome they are for making LotRO the first MMO to support DirectX 10. Each Monday, the best shots from the previous week's submissions would be featured at the official website.Well, the first Monday (plus two days) has arrived, and two winners have been selected, which is a surprise since the original announcement said there would be three winners each week. They're both very good screenshots that feature very pretty water effects; one of them -- which we think is a view of the lake in Evendim -- appears above.You can look at the other one in the official forum post. The contest will continue until December 17th, so if you have a GPU that supports DX10 and if you're running Windows Vista, send in a submission!
LotRO player creates excellent housing database
The Lord of the Rings Online forum regular Rainwhisper embarked on an ambitious project to put together a website that would catalog floor plans, decorations, and ambient music for LotRO housing. With the help of fellow players on the forums, Rainwhisper succeeded!The site is hosted by the Dawnsong Explorers kinship of the Windfola server. It's an excellent resource. There's a spreadsheet-style list of all the housing items that players can make or acquire. There are floor plans for the different types of houses. You can also check out pictures of the decorations. As far as we can tell the site's listings are complete or very close to it.Rainwhisper and any other contributors will have quite a bit more work on their hands when Book 12 comes out but if their success with the site so far is any indication, that won't be a problem!
Lorebook entry looks at the heart of evil in LotRO
Carn Dûm -- the seat of evil in western Middle-earth. 'Twas in this fortress that the Witch-king of Angmar reigned as an oppressor of men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits alike until he was chased off by two heroes. It's home to evil men, orcs, trolls, and some evils that do not sleep. In other words, it's awesome, and you can read all about it in Turbine's new official Lorebook entry.Carn Dûm is one of the places that Turbine has expanded beyond what was contained in the books. While Angmar (of which Carn Dûm is a part) was, as the entry says, "only mentioned in passing in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings," Turbine has filled in the gaps with their own bits of gameplay and lore in The Lord of the Rings Online. The entry also utilizes the Google-based map of Middle-earth that Jeffrey Steefel was talking about in the Ten Ton Hammer interview we covered yesterday.
Turbine talks Korean LotRO, Book 11, Book 12, and more
There's a lot of buzz going for The Lord of the Rings Online. Book 11 was recently released, and it was the game's biggest update so far. Book 12 is in the works. Most importantly from a big-picture standpoint, Turbine has secured deals to launch the game in the Korean and Chinese markets.Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel and Adam Mersky talk to Ten Ton Hammer about all these things and more in a new interview. The Korean launch looks like it might go very well, and it appears that Book 12 will be all about "customization." We've already picked up some details about new options for player housing, but that's only the beginning. Players will soon be able to change their characters' hair at a barber shop.Book 12 will also introduce some sort of system that will allow players to "maintain what they present outwardly to the other players and modify their stats in two different channels," meaning a player will have options if he or she really wants that new piece of armor that has great stats but that looks ridiculously out of place on his or her character.Cool! No details yet on how exactly that will work, though.
MMOGology: Roleplaying is dead
A red sun set over the ashen wastelands of Searing Gorge. Three shadows crept up a snaking path toward the encampment on Firewatch Ridge. The first shadow struck her victim hard in the back. The second pounced in cat form, lacerating and stunning her prey. The third finished off his hapless victim with a combination of quick stabs to the chest. The Twilight Idolater dropped silently to the ground. The trio continued to their next target, but this time their prey called for backup. The druid morphed into a vicious bear, drawing her enemies' attention to herself to take the brunt of the attack. The rogues tried to sap the reinforcements into submission or cut them down from behind. Despite their efforts the added numbers of the enemy overwhelmed the heroes and they fell. "Hey Silvanna," said the cute, brunette rogue named Mystletoe. "Do you mind if I get my friend Barbi to help us. She's a 70 priest.""Uh, OK." agreed the druid. It wasn't long before a beautiful, blonde priestess arrived. She revived her allies from the brink of death and with a few simple flicks of her supple wrist, slew the band of Twilight cultists without chipping a nail."Sweet, lets turn this quest in," said the rogue named Twojoints."So have you guys tried out the new voice chat?" asked Mystletoe. The druid began to sweat noticeably."Uh, no, no. I don't think mine's working quite right yet," replied Silvanna. Suddenly there was audible giggling from somewhere near the party. It was as if the air around them had come to life and was laughing at the group."So let's hear your beautiful voice Barbi," giggled the very feminine voice of Mystletoe."Hey guys," belted a baritone. Barbi was a man!"Oh-my-God, Barbi's a dude!" laughed Mystletoe with an air of false surprise.The druid sighed, somewhat relieved."That's OK Barbi," Silvanna replied. "So am I."
Details on Book 12's player housing updates
So here's a scenario for you: you buy a house for your character in The Lord of the Rings Online. How exciting! You check it out; it looks good, if a bit sparse. You buy all sorts of decorations to solve the sparseness problem -- a chair, a table, a painting or two, some plants, and so on. You set up a dinner table and put a chair at its head, but the chair is facing the wrong way, and you can't turn it.That sucks, doesn't it? But wait; there's hope!Book 12 will address that and many other housing complaints and requests. We know this because a Turbine developer who goes by the alias DangerDan told fans pretty much every thing there is to know about the coming changes to Middle-earth's sprawling suburbs.Rotatable placements? Check. Sharing your house with all the other characters on your account? Check. A way to find out the name of your next-door neighbor? Also check. Deed-based trophies and other new kinds of decorations? Also also check. Your very own palantír for the living room TV stand? Not yet, but here's to hoping.[Via LotRO Life]
LotRO EU cloak design contest winners announced
The second Lord of the Rings Online cloak design contest recently concluded, but European LotRO players have finally had their own competition. As we pointed out last time, it seems that the judges weren't really seeking outlandish entries, but there's no denying that these cloaks look great. There are two winning entries as with the last contest, one from Eirek Lillebo of Norway (left), and the other from J. Garrington (right). If you think that either one of these wouldn't look too shabby on your character, you'll only need to wait a bit longer. Both of these designs will be available to pick up with the Book 12 update, along with all the other things to look forward to in that patch. Full-sized pictures of the cloaks: Eirek Lillebo. J. Garrington.
LotRO DirectX10 screenshot contest, prizes missing
Turbine are quite pleased about Lord of the Rings Online being the only live MMO with implemented DX10 -- so pleased there's now a contest to celebrate. Submit a screenshot to them, three winning entries will then be picked each Monday, and an overall winner is announced on the 17th of December.What fabulous prize does this screenshotting demigod win, I hear you cry? Well ... nothing. The winning screenshot may be featured on lotro.com, and that's it. Which I find rather disappointing, especially following the cloak contest -- if you're lucky enough to have a card capable of running LotRO in DX10, and enough of a fan to submit an entry, you deserve something.I tried to take a LotRO DX10 screenshot myself, but I fear my computer wasn't up to the task.
Reputation changes in LotRO will make you feel more loved
Does it sometimes feel like, no matter what you do for somebody to try and impress them, it's hard to get them to notice you? Feeling unappreciated and unloved? Well dry your eyes, because Turbine hears you. Coming soon to Lord of the Rings Online is a revamp that will see reputation rewards added to many existing quests, to allow you to increase your standing with various factions more easily. This is to address the reported difficulty in achieving even the first few levels of reputation with a faction by existing means.If you've already finished a stack of quests and are worried that you'll miss out on this helpful update, this has been thought of too. There will be a once-off reputation reward for all the quests that you have completed in the past that get upgraded with the change. This means that it is safe to continue doing any quests now, knowing that if they end up being changed, you will receive your due compensation. The revamped quest reputation system is expected to be implemented in Book 12 -- until then, you may simply have to hold your head high and face the cold shoulder.
LotRO: Troll and Ranger Session Play out for now
Session Play in Lord of the Rings Online is a feature that allows you to take the form of a different character, and experience Middle Earth from a new perspective. From the official website, "You could play as a Ranger, a Troll, or... a chicken." Well, it looks as though your only option for now may be of the feathered farmyard variety, according to this post on Turbine's official LotRO forums.The announcement from Turbine Community Specialist Saffron tells us little other than that there have been unspecified issues with Trolls and Rangers in Session Play, and that they will not be available until further notice. These two character types were formerly playable in the Ettenmoors Monster Play (PvP) zone, with Rangers for the Free Peoples and Trolls for the Monsters. A quick visit to the Monster Play forums shows that Trolls and Rangers have already been a topic of hot debate, with many feeling they were overpowered. Perhaps they will be tweaked along with other PvMP updates due with Book 12 -- we will have to wait and see what changes have been made when they are made available for play once more.
Doom the Angmarim using the new Angmar Deed guide
Angmar is not a pleasant place. It's the cornerstone of evil in Eriador, the region on which The Lord of the Rings Online presently focuses. It once was home to the throne of the Witch-king, the most powerful and important of Sauron's servants. Now it's inhabited by trolls, orcs, and hillmen who will not greet you warmly when you approach them.Now ... go there and grind!Ten Ton Hammer have published a guide to the Deeds you can complete in the region. Like their previous two Deed guides, their guide to the Deeds of Angmar is a great resource for players looking for Traits that give them an extra edge, or for cool titles like "Warlord of Angmar," "Doom of the Angmarim," or "Weird of the Worms." If you're brave enough to simply walk into Angmar, check the guide out. It could come in handy.
LotRO downtime today for Book 11 Patch 1
Book 11 provided a huge chunk of content for Lord of the Rings Online players. Player housing, Balrog raids, the Harvest Festival, revamps to the Lore-master and Burglar classes, the introduction of Gollum, the list goes on. And with every fat patch comes a swarm of bugs that make it to the Live servers.Today, Turbine is stomping on a number of those bug with Book 11 Patch 1. Servers are down from 7am - 1p EST while the new patch is implemented on the Live servers. Along with usual pathing problems, stability adjustments and mob AI tweaks, fixes include DirextX 10 support coming out of beta, fixes to the Hooks in housing used to place decorations and nerfing some Conjunctions used in Player vs Monster Player combat.For a complete list of patch notes, check out LotRO's Lorebook wiki.
