Ask The LOTRO Team – Answers to your questions – February 6, 2014

[wbhz]

Glff for one. User created chat channels. You are currently limited to 4 active channels.

Increase in the number of user chat channels would be very much appreciated, having a total of 8 would be great I think.

[pittcrew1]

Hmm...

While I think quality of life changes are excellent, I sorta think this has to take place alongside *group* end-game content. It's a shame that there is no raid planned for 2014, but I would hope that there is then a 6-man planned, at the least.

Or maybe scale the 6-mans terribly neglected in Angmar and Lothlorien? (I mean the battles for Angmar and Lothlorien, the ones at Gath Forthnir and Caras Galadhon). Almost no one ever runs those, so scaling those would be something new for a lot of the player base.

Like many other things, though. Just don't neglect group content

Also- surely I am not the only one interested in more user channel slots per toon? *looks at the rest of everyone*

No, you are not, I would love more channel slots (preferable at least 10).

&

My opinion on overall matters:
And I want to add my say to the many others who want some sort of traditional group content. I am by no means an avid raider/instance runner, but that is primarily because I was never at the cap with (or on the same level as) my kin-mates when they still played. Now very few do, and with those that do, we are too few to run most things. I used to run instances on rare occasions, and I would love them, even if they were a just slight challenge, because it involved group-mechanics and stages of progression and reward. Now that everything is thrown at you, all in order and gear that always improves as you progress (which isn't bad, but it's annoying), there is so little sense of progression because you always get more and more and better and better (trade-offs were good). And the end-game group content that I used to indulge into ever so slightly and rarely I can basically not do now. I can solo most things I didn't get to do before, but I still lack that group-content and coordination that I and so many others crave. As a mostly solo player from back in the day, I have to say, in sum, that even as a unspoken-for solo-er, I absolutely loved having instances and raids to look up to and eventually try my hand at, so I do not think it's fair to assume that the majority doesn't want it, but I think it's more safe to assume that the majority doesn't need it. We do however need that craving fulfilled before we all realize it's too late to ever get it (and at this rate it looks like we might have forever).

Now as for all of the answers that are not "not planned", I love all of them, and will definitely put them to use and it will hopefully improve game-play a lot. I also do not oppose the direction Turbine is going because I many times myself have encouraged that. They have a hard job trying to balance everything we want, and I do not blame them for failing to do it all. I am letting the game ebb and flow, and hopefully at some point the content that everyone wants will come in it's own, proper and flourishing, way and time.

[Easca]

My opinion on it all is that I think that this is an indication that things might go towards the right direction.

I love that the lower regions are being revamped right now. Especially the Trollshaws I often found difficult to properly navigate, and I would definitely like to see this addressed. ND and Misties sounds quite cool too - I found these to be better navigable, but still, there were often areas where I found the vastness exceeded the usefulness towards the levelling, often making it quite mind-numbing a ride to have to cross those white plains of the Misties or the vast hilliness of the Downs.
Also, a full small region? Yay! Which one? South Farthing? Northern Ered Luin?

Considering the kinship revamps, as an officer in a kin I'm glad to see that more is being done to weave the kinships better together in more matters than just the kinship itself, but also the finances and some other aspects. However, I wouldn't recommend negating some of the kinleader-only duties to the kinnies themselves, just to make that known in prospect. Maybe add the possibility to negate some of the kinleader's duties to his officers if he wants to though (thus making it optional).
(P.S. And give the officers with these special duties new titles maybe? I'd love to be known as "Officer of Finances of [kinship name]" or "Officer of War Duties of [kinship name]". xD )

And about player housing in more areas other than the four areas it is in now... "possibly" already sounds better than "we currently have no plans to do so". I hope to see this happen - though I'd dread to leave the peacefulness of Ered Luin, I would love to get a house in Evendim or the Great River.

I like that there's an indication that the RoI instance cluster may be scaled - finally!

I just hope to see more in this game happen this year - and please don't rush it. I don't mind waiting a little longer if it means that the outcome is awesome.

[Hecki]

One question left:

Q43: Will LOTRO be boring this year?
A: [SamOneElse] No! LOTRO will be much boringererer, because we'll do nothing for the endgame But, look! You'll be able to send TWO items per mail in U12.3.4,814! That's AMAZING!

Hm. Let's sing a song...

"Hoooow many chars could a man level up, before there will be new content?"

[Silmelin]

Chat channels, Mail and Social Options

Q21: Chat channels: Will we ever be able to have more than 4 user chat channels per character?
A: [Ransroth] - This is something that we could do if there is enough interest. The UI and interaction design isn’t set up to scale but we can overcome that if needs be.

I'm sure there is enough interest!

I really really want to be able to join more user channels than 4! Especially useful during events like Weatherstock
Would be great to be able to have more chat tabs at the same time too, if it's possible

[Elkhunter76]

PVP love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would you guys consider adding a player council for pvp
at least let us be heard !!!!!!

1. Revamp of map to many castles/keeps lag fest… make a huge flat fighting area
2. Jewelry up scale for ranks
3. Cloaks should be at trainers to match their class stat
4. Buy audacity like creeps with coms/ware our own gear
5. Allow hunters to track stealth wargs again
6. Give creeps horses or wargs to ride
7. It wouldbe so easy to give creeps a new classeS now DO IT!!!!



Don’t make me pew pew U !!!!!!!!!!!

[DelgonTheWise]

I do have to say that, while I am somewhat disappointed with what I see as the future of LOTRO, I do very much appreciate these Q&A. Communication is a good thing, and there is a fair bit of useful information here about things to come (or not come) and the game direction.

[Axeny]

@Sapience, I know you(and other people in Turbine) did great job answering 42 different questions, but would you answer 2 more, please. They are pretty straight forward.
1.Is there any new group content planned for 2014 and which sizes(3mans or 6mans)?
2.If there is any new group content, will they be structured as Big Battles or Instances(or something else)?
3(optional). Any plans on acquiring First Agers, if they won't drop from new raids, will they once again be sold via seals/marks/meds?

Third question is something of less importance right now, so feel free to ignore it, if you don't want to spoil any information. But I do believe that we have the rights to know the answers of the first two questions
Thank you in advance.

[Jillymala]

From the link you gave...



It very well may be your PC. We strongly discourage the use of Intel graphic chip sets as they can, and frequently do, cause performance issues. Integrated graphics chips like these in general are not recommended. If you are using this graphics processor I'd recommend not trying to run past medium settings and you may find tuning down from there is needed.

If your PC can support a dedicated, discrete, card I would suggest something like the NVIDIA 6XX series or higher.

My apologies I was at work and not at home, this is what I have for lotro currently:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...s&dlc=en&lc=en

This should provide a lag free gaming experience? Or is the lag I encounter in certain zones only a product of my bad pc?

[Milarien]

I love the idea of being able to add a craft! I hope I can afford it when it comes out.

I am also looking forward to seeing the housing changes, etc.

[Sthrax]

My apologies I was at work and not at home, this is what I have for lotro currently:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...s&dlc=en&lc=en

This should provide a lag free gaming experience? Or is the lag I encounter in certain zones only a product of my bad pc?

The integrated graphics is going to be an issue for you. That said, I have lag in this game that I don't get in other MMOs, even when the graphic settings in those games are far better than what I use in Lotro. Lag is a complex creature and the end-user is potentially only part of the problem. These forums in particular seem to beat the drum of "end-user" issue, and ignore the contributions from anything else.

[RosieCotton]

Re. Catapults.

This sounds like a good idea to me. Anything that can be done to focus battles on the castles is good, surely. At the moment whenever I go onto Snowbourn monster play all that ever happens is I spend an hour or so running around and around the moors as part of a huge creep raid, hardly ever encountering any freeps. It's really boring, which is why I don't play pvmp much these days.

We need big castle battles guys! None of this marathon running nonsense.

Or maybe the moors is just too big. If it was a quarter of the size or less, maybe there'd be nowhere to hide and we'd actually get to see the enemy a bit more often.

[frickinmuck]

Re. Catapults.

This sounds like a good idea to me. Anything that can be done to focus battles on the castles is good, surely. At the moment whenever I go onto Snowbourn monster play all that ever happens is I spend an hour or so running around and around the moors as part of a huge creep raid, hardly ever encountering any freeps. It's really boring, which is why I don't play pvmp much these days.

We need big castle battles guys! None of this marathon running nonsense.

Or maybe the moors is just too big. If it was a quarter of the size or less, maybe there'd be nowhere to hide and we'd actually get to see the enemy a bit more often.

This is why the cries for a new map seem crazy to me.

is that, unlike Turbine Points, there is no receipt received. I will not use them for big ticket items without being able to track what they are spent on.

This, among others (increased disconnect between in-game coin and IRL cash, usability annoyances), is a huge reason why I hate mithril coins. I prefer TP so I can see where my cash goes. Until they resolve that major problem with mithril coins I will continue to malign them.

[Kylender]

I’m afraid if I’m going to be honest about how these questions and answers leave me, the general emotion is indeed disappointment. As some others who have posted here, I also have been around in Lotro for over 6 years. While the game has many appealing points to me and my kinnies, the main thing keeping me with the game has been instance and raid content, the quality of which has suffered greatly in recent year or two. Now, to witness that not only have you pulled the plug from the development of new instance cluster(s) but are also hiding behind the mask of „we’re busy with other priorities“ and „it’s harder as one would expect“ on the question of scaling old clusters... I am just sad. The quality of the game was so much different back in the day when Moria launched when there was a great instance cluster and another following in half a year. Through my eyes you had your priorities straight there and today the state of the game only pales in comparison.

It seems to me you have lost the grasp on reality and fallen under a dark spell in recent few years quite similar to how Theoden was controlled by Saruman. Where is Gandalf when you need him?

[Leixy]

I'm all for more user chat channels, however, the current system of /joinchannel in the order you want doesn't always work correctly.

In fact, I notice that the system automatically changed the order of the channels on its own free will.

May I suggest something like the Linkshell system in FFXIV where you can have public invited channels (like the password system, but more versatile), and also just public channels

Channels would get their own menu system to make it easy to save/assign channels and they won't get put out of order.

[forumhagum]

TYVM for the answers!

My personal reaction is

Ofc #32 was the most disappointing for me personally.

#11 - anything for us solo players would be appreciated.

#19 was intriguing - I like crafting but I already have at least one of each so the main intriguing thing for me would be more cooks, miners, woodies. Although please make sure that if I can add a second guildable profession (cook) for a character, I can also join a second guild.

P.S.: I am not mainstream; I liked the answers to 8-10.

Thanks again.

[eois]

Re. Catapults.

This sounds like a good idea to me. Anything that can be done to focus battles on the castles is good, surely. At the moment whenever I go onto Snowbourn monster play all that ever happens is I spend an hour or so running around and around the moors as part of a huge creep raid, hardly ever encountering any freeps. It's really boring, which is why I don't play pvmp much these days.

We need big castle battles guys! None of this marathon running nonsense.

Or maybe the moors is just too big. If it was a quarter of the size or less, maybe there'd be nowhere to hide and we'd actually get to see the enemy a bit more often.

I guess you've never been inside a keep when two or more raids were there?! It only results in the usual "I can't get off any skills, AMG, this lag, I can't move!"

Better fix what needs to be fixed first, before making more bugs reappear!

[Gottapee]

I'm surprised no one asked about First Ages and the ETA/way to gather.

if first age symbols are in the skirm camp again, seriously Turbine, dafu-

[Rasdun]

Q35: Do you have any plans to set up another 'Design a horse' contest, or similar fun contest which allows players to show their creativity?
A: [Sapience] Not a horse, but we are looking at putting together another “design” type contest in the future.

Looking forward to the 'Design a Giant War Goat' contest! Mucho Gracias

[RosieCotton]

I guess you've never been inside a keep when two or more raids were there?! It only results in the usual "I can't get off any skills, AMG, this lag, I can't move!"

Better fix what needs to be fixed first, before making more bugs reappear!

Yes, I've been in a few huge battles around the castles and yes, the lag can make it difficult at times, but personally if given the choice between a big battle with lag or endless running without any freeps to fight I'll choose the laggy battle every time.

[DRNA]

Thank you for the Thread.

[Slagatar]

for some reason, i was unable to post to forums to have a question considered for this. all i can say is "I want to go to Sarn Ford. I can't go to Sarn Ford. Please let me go to Sarn Ford."

[Yignificent_Nimogist]

for some reason, i was unable to post to forums to have a question considered for this. all i can say is "I want to go to Sarn Ford. I can't go to Sarn Ford. Please let me go to Sarn Ford."

Don't forget the Far Downs, Lindon and the Grey Havens!

[Slagatar]

Don't forget the Far Downs, Lindon and the Grey Havens!

they are also in my thoughts. i try to ask for so little so i won't seem over bearing

[Lohi]

No new instances

No new raids

But we've known this since Helm's Deep came out. Not much reason to keep asking the same question hoping for different answers.