LOTRO Developer Twitter Chat - Thursday Januray 24, 3:00PM Eastern

[Sapience]

Come chat with members of the LOTRO Team!

When: Thursday January 24, 2013 at 3:00PM Eastern time.
Where: http://www.twitter.com/lotro

Members of the LOTRO team will be answering your questions live on twitter at 3:00PM Eastern time.

To ask a question just tweet it to us @lotro and be sure to include the hashtags #LOTRO and #DEVCHAT.

Please remember to keep your questions short, as we’ll be re-tweeting your questions along with the answers.

The following members of the LOTRO Team will be answering your questions.

• Senior Producer Aaron “Rowan” Campbell
• Lead Systems Designer Matt “HoarseDev” Zimmitti
• Associate Designer (MTX) Mara "Aubergine" Patton
• Designer (World) Travis "TheAngryKoala" Healy
• Associate designer (Systems) Jon "'Space' Rockx" Steady
• Senior Designer (Content) Jesse "Eldorudo" Smith
• Community Manager Rick "Sapience" Heaton

Can't make the chat but what to ask a question? Post your questions here and we'll select a few to answer as well. Please remember to keep your question brief and easy to tweet.

Also, take a careful look at the list of devs attending. We've added the things they're working on next to their titles. Devs can't talk about things they aren't working on personally, so if you tailor your questions to their responsibilities, you have a much better chance of getting an answer.

[Ganorin]

when will you be releasing new titles for Legendary weapon using Ancient Dwarf and Westernese Dmg type I like beleriead and all but what if i want something different.

[Thunidir]

1) Thoughts on new content --- update 10?
2) Future plans on warsteed raids?

Whatever you can tell would be great!

Oh I also forgot...
3) Any updates planned for housing?

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

This time around can you please not take up time/answers with filler questions this time?

Last time around you took a question that asked about scaling Helegrod. I mean really, was that necessary?

Since your time and input is so severely limited and ultra rare for your customers it would be appreciated if you didn't waste time/answers on things like that.

That said, I do like that you'll be doing another one.

My questions, please if you are going to answer any, answer the first one. It's the most important:

1) Can you please tell us what you are doing to remedy the client/UI video problems? If you say that you don't experience these problems then please give us the exact computer setup and UserPreferences.ini so that we can try to reproduce your immunity to the problem. (The client gets progressively slower the longer you play the game, especially in DirectX 10, DirectX 11 and with Higher textures and Frill enabled. DirectX 9 is not immune to this either.) This is a MAJOR MAJOR problem so please don't ignore this question!

2) Are we going to be able to have interaction again with our class devs? Many of the classes don't even know who their dev is anymore.

[tanlis]

When will see some fixes to the Mac client?

[Oldin]

Lack of Jwbarry makes me a sad hobbit, assuming he's still doing instance clusters.

[Nasami]

1) I know that 'fixing' housing is probably more than a little difficult. However, surely there must be some low-hanging fruit, as it were, that can be done to improve LotRO's housing experience? (For example, making 'hooks' moveable, even if keeping the number limit, so chairs and tables can be placed reasonably close together?)

2) Accessory of the Northstar warsteed thing. LOVE it. Any chance of making more of that set?

3) Elemental pets for Loremasters (a la Grims)? Would be BEYOND awesomesauce.

4) Expanding the reach of the Reflecting Pools so we can replay more of the earlier content (even if the rewards are then subsequently limited to XP/cash - there are some damn cool missions or arcs that I would love to replay so I can film on the maps). Even better - allow them to level scale.

[WiltenRose]

Besides Rockx working on the U9/U10 Loot and you, Sapience, running things on the community side, I don't really know what the rest of the devs attending are responsible for *specifically.* Could we get a little more insight into what each of the other devs' most recent project was?

Also, are we going to get any new announcements between now and then, like a Producer Letter looking ahead at 2013 or a more concrete overview of what to expect from U10 besides the rest of the RoR Instance Cluster? It just seems to me like things have been really quite lately and I would, for one, like to know what systems are currently being worked on. Things like, "is there an update to ___ in the works?" Just knowing that it is currently in process, even if it will still be 3-6 months before we see it in game still helps us to understand what the dev team is focusing on so we can give meaningful forum input before everything gets set in stone on your end.

Thanks for putting these together. The last one was cool. Looking forward to this one.

[Bloodspill]

I suppose this question would be more directed at Sapience as its community related.

Any fix on the way for the leaderboards? Some tribes and kins have been missing now for many months since the EU transfer.

also,

Can you expand on the bit of information we got last time about housing, how are neighbourhoods going to change?

[zalladi]

Q: Will Galuhad's Kinship proposal ever be considered?
Q: Any chance the Fellowship Manoeuvre system can have some love?

[Isharra]

Q1. What is the precise role of an in-game GM?

Context: there are many instances where the answer from a GM is (paraphrased), "Sorry, but we cannot help you with that." If people knew what precise kind of help GMs can offer, this could help needless bogging down of the help system.

Q2. Is the LI system pretty much how you'd like it to be now, or are there more revisions/tweaks in the works?

[Tenuke]

Take a careful look at the list of devs attending. We've added the things they're working on next to their titles. Devs can't talk about things they aren't working on personally

• (MTX)
• (World)
• (Systems)
• (Content)

Q: How the hell are 98% of players supposed to understand what they can ask from.. MTX? or World -dev? or, systems -dev? Ill give it a go.. hey system dev! How fares systems of lotro and what are the future plans for them systems of lotro?

Q2: MTX, I really feel like asking you something too because I guess you just wont be having many questions.. because no one will really understand your position either.. so.. oops.. neither did I.. But I googled! and after surfing 10 pages of best hits for MTX.. No go.. First 10 pages was about some HIFI-equipment, then on 10th page I got hint about some Metalex company mining minerals in Africa.. is that your job?

[Nyrion]

This time around can you please not take up time/answers with filler questions this time?

Last time around you took a question that asked about scaling Helegrod. I mean really, was that necessary?

Since your time and input is so severely limited and ultra rare for your customers it would be appreciated if you didn't waste time/answers on things like that.

I agree and disagree with this. I think last time there were a few too many fluff questions answered, but that doesn't mean they have to be super serious either.

As far as class devs go, I wasn't aware we had class specific ones anymore, and the people who frequent those sections are not the best to take suggestions from. More blue posts are always nice though.

As for my questions:

How do you feel about the LI system as is?

Do you plan to improve the usefulness of class pets?

Character models upgrade? Please?

[Pantherpike1]

I'm actually hoping that the devs will listen to the players and consider what they say, if not, this whole Twitter chat will be worthless...

[frorolf]

I know there are more current problems that need adressing but I feel that the following also deserves some attention:
1)Barber Revamp(please,the dwarves' beards have lost their flare and no longer attract those hairy little dwarf women)- even if you integrated the npc beards; ex. Bori, Brogur,Nar,Ori;Even if they were purchasable only by TP you would make me a happy man!
2)Cosmetic Pets...?
3)Just respect all the hard work you guys do in making this wonderful game.

[Schinderhannes]

1. Any plans on offering highres loginscreen-graphics and new night sky textures?
At the moment they are both very blurry. If you are using a widescreen and very high textures you expect something else.

Here are some examples how a better night sky with more stars would look like:


more: forochel 2 & fancy nebula

Bad texture quality of login interface:




2. Any plans on redesigning the loginscreen so we will be able to list all/more characters at once?
(This would halve the clicks while logging in)
concept:


3. Any plans for a new community contest in the future about user generated content like textures or items?
Perhaps a "design a painting" contest for housing.

4. Any plans on changing stats for crafting gear, especially of low level crafting items and other low level items?
(Agility on heavy armor, yellow questrewards at the end of questchains like the one in Bree [item]Bree's_Thanks[/item], very low dps on purple weapons that randomly drop from enemies compared to crafted weapons)

5. Why are you so secretive? You know, you can tell me everything ... turby!
Seriously, why not full transparency and tell the community everything they wanna know?

greetings,
Rulin

[Monkeylad]

My questions pertain to why i play this game, and why i pay for my subscription:
1. What can/will you do in the near future about pvmp raid lag.My system handles three game greatly on the highest and second highest setting, but when i join a 12 man or more raid vs a raid of creeps the same size i get unbearable lag that ruins the game for me.

2. Will you ever make freep aud armour available for purchase in the store? Rolling a new freep against a creep that -has purchased skills much higher than their rank makes it very hard, and near impossible to gain comms and rank. It discourages new players in the moors i feel.

3. Will guardians ever become more, well, tank-ish again? Our self heals arent that great, we trade okay survivability in terms of pvmp for poor survivability and low dps that doesn't scratch a creep. If we're meant to be a tank class, please make us tanks and not give us a sad increase to dps.

[Jaberman]

When is the Rune-Keeper month, and/or are there plans to give us a little dps love to bring us back up to a competitive level with the other top dps classes?

[Sapience]

When is the Rune-Keeper month, and/or are there plans to give us a little dps love to bring us back up to a competitive level with the other top dps classes?

I think there was a misunderstanding of what was said in the last chat. We aren't doing future class changes in a 'month of' style. They plan is to do them as a whole.

[Lethareth]

What's the ETA for U10, and will the Rohan rings get another upgrade with U10?

[Lethareth]

Space combat panel - what's it do??? (I did map a key to it, and it doesn't seem to do anything, so very curious!)

[Deusdictum]

Associate Designer (MTX) Mara "Aubergine" Patton

MTX, I really feel like asking you something too because I guess you just wont be having many questions.. because no one will really understand your position either.. so.. oops.. neither did I...

I think MTX = Microtransactions = LOTRO Store. Had some questions, but the forums ate them. Apparently, it didn't like how I was quoting bulleted items...

Designer (World) Travis "TheAngryKoala" Healy
So... *some* work on Western Rohan was done prior to the release of the RoR expansion. Are you still working on Western Rohan or have you moved on to other spaces? Hints? Alternatively, how long after you "finish" a space does it typically take for your work to actually show up in game? 6 months? a year?

Associate designer (Systems) Jon "'Space' Rockx" Steady
What percent of your job is maintaining or revising old systems and how much is creating new systems? Assuming you're on a "Systems" team, is this breakdown the same for everyone? Does it vary over time?

Senior Designer (Content) Jesse Smith
Any plans to update the new Bree so that the newer sections seem more lifelike instead of just a bunch of buildings? Who brings in the best treats to the office? How many hours a week do you put in during "crunch" time?

Community Manager Rick "Sapience" Heaton
What stage is the next Paiz letter in? Still in her head? Initial draft? Going through approvals? Being translated? Awaiting the proper bribes delivered to Turbine HQ? When will the forums be fixed so it stops eating my posts due to logout issues? I lose more good posts that way that I have no desire to retype up and you lose that feedback. Or is this never going to change because it's an anti-spamming / -exploit / -hacking measure that we honest community members just have to live with?

[Aelonaith]

1-Why the devs destroyed solo play at moors?
2-Any chance of creep skills, brands (fall imunity, anti silence, trackers, etc) be removed from the store?
3-Why the creeps without rank can use a brand that was made for a rank 15? Any plans to remove them from the lootbox drop?
4-The system of kinship and housing will get some love?
5-Any chance of increasing customization of chars? New faces and hair (the hair of lotro seem paper)
6-Why the hair and the clothes (except cloacks) of the chars do not move?
7-Take a look at the legendary hunter traits, they are scaled at level 50 till today (like ?
8-Any chance of remove long animation from purge poison and let we use while moving?
9-Why a rid of Cry of hunter long animation?
8-Why the guardian to have a low dps (nowhere near the top dps) need to lose 40% of mitigation?
9-Any plans for a new class for creeps or freeps?
10-Why farmers (farming rank) and people who use additional programs to control 3+ freeps and leveling them together are not being banned? It was against the rules before, why arent now?
11-Could you guys divide the actual buff that comes from one outpost for the four OP?
12-Could we freeps see some buble when the spider use Toxic Carapace? And lower this duration or give spiders a dps debuffer while using this?
13-Could you guys please add new skins for creeps and lower the cost to 500-1000 commendantions or made them auto acquired when you rank?
14-When hunters will be able to move before the animation of the arrows reaching their target end, like Black Arrows?
15-Maybe we could have a cosmetic slot for weapons?

[Anurin_The_Wise]

Q2. Is the LI system pretty much how you'd like it to be now, or are there more revisions/tweaks in the works?

This would be an interesting question to have addressed (and well-worded Isharra). I'd personally be interested in thoughts on the current relic system (is it seen as sustainable in the long term with ever-increasing shard costs?, etc.).

[Lathius]

1) Are you going to revisit the freep raid sets in the moors to make them equal to that of pve sets? No reason for the pvp sets to be so statistically inferior to pve sets. Why is audacity simply not a passive skill?

2) Can we please change the OP buffs to something that does not shift the balance of the moors?

3) Can freeps have more items available in the moors? Jewellery? LI accessories? Class LI? Update loot table in the moors chests/npcs to give freeps a chance to farm better gear while pvping (when I say pvping I do not mean from the raids in the delving, placing pve inside a pvp area does not make it pvp)? Maybe update the player loot tables to have a small chance at incomparable/epic drops?

4) PvP players on freep side have to have a subscription, they should at least be rewarded at having a chance to advance their players through pvp with equivalent gear to that of pve if that is what they choose to do.

5) Can we please look at actually making instanced pvp? I would prefer that over a new map. At least it would be different areas.