Q&A Hobbits to Isengard - Vilya
Couldn't get new posts to work so I decided to just edit this one and put the Vilya transcript here (so if "date posted" looks off, that's why).
Please note: I am paraphrasing here. Anything said here is coming through my interpretation of what was said, and is subject to being corrected, so don't take all this as the final word.
If anyone who was present has any additions or corrections, feel free to post.
Q&A Hobbits to Isengard - Vilya
- Question about whether usage of his home or work computer will affect the time
Both computers are really similar. If anything, his work PC has better ping time and a faster internet connection. But Arkenstone made a solid case for that not mattering at all, since he used his home computer for that run. - Question about multi-boss raids
Read Aaron’s producer’s letter, he covered that there and is the best person to answer that - Are there any sneaky things planned for the BR run on Friday
He’s asked some people to aid in making things interesting. Jinjaah and EP Aaron Campbell are both going to be in for that run to answer some questions. Not all of the devs have headsets at their desks, but the devs have promised to make themselves available via IM to answer any questions via Sapience, so there should be lots of opportunity for people to get questions answered either directly or indirectly in the stream. The only potential hitch is that they’re going to be trying to get BR up and running tomorrow. If that doesn’t happen, that puts a bit of pressure on their ability to get things ready for Friday. He’s also talked to Chris Martin, the engineer responsible for the inventory revamp, and the current plan is to get him in on a livestream Monday sometime, to demo the new inventory and answer any questions people have. - What is Bullroarer
It’s the test server for LotRO that’s used to stage content for players to test out before it goes live on the main servers. Because it’s not a live game server there’s a lot more flexibility in terms of what they can do on there, so fun things can happen. - I’ve never been on Bullroarer will there be opportunities to access it soon
Yes, they plan on making it available before U13 goes live. There is no application process – it’s an open server, they just don’t have an installer ready at this point, so anyone needing to install the Bullroarer client from scratch will have to wait a bit longer to get in. - Question about the dwarven area in Bree that Scarycrow was working on
He honestly doesn’t know what the status of that is. If it was a personal project he was working on, it’s something other devs may choose to take on, but it was probably never an assigned task. In fact, most of the Bree revamp was a pet project of his. [All the more reason I love Scarycrow so much – frickinmuck] - Question about new map art for some of the older regions
If it’s on the list of things to do, it would be lower down than, say, creating new content, so it may eventually get done, but as a lower priority item. - When the install is ready, will there be any instructions on getting Bullroarer installed
It will be as simple as “click here.” Installing Bullroarer is as easy as installing the game and is really straightforward. - Will you be livestreaming a game of Hobnanigans
That’s still being planned, not quite ready yet. Won’t be ready for U13, but may be ready for 13.1. Will definitely be doing a livestream in the future. - Age-old question, “if your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too”
As Sapience leads several players over a cliff in Bree-land, that seems to be a resounding YES. - Are things still on track for the Council applications to open up on the 14th
Actually they’ve been pushed back one week to the 21st. They are planning on announcing the council during the Anniversary, and it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to have 5 or 6 weeks of applications. This way he can read them all while he’s on vacation and uninterrupted by other things. - When will Spring Festival start
After the Anniversary Festival (Anniversary happens in late April) - Will BR be up in time to give people time to patch
Yes, that’s the plan - When will we see the next 20 questions
He mentioned it on Twitter for those who follow, that they will be doing it more toward the end of the month. While he’s on vacation he will give people a chance to post questions, and the answers will come after that. It will be helpful to give people a chance to see U13 on Bullroarer before they ask questions so that they don’t ask questions that will be answered by seeing the update. - Question about not seeing the design director in a year
Actually, whenever there is a 20 questions, he usually has a hand in it, so you've seen him maybe just haven't realized it