Character Creation Thoughts

[WhimsicalPacifist]

something that needs to be accepted whether you like it or not is that women with beards have existed for as long as humanity has. have none of you heard of the condition PCOS?

theres a simple solution if you do not like some of the new customization options: DONT USE THEM! ignore them and game on per usual, its that simple! a majority of other players are happy enough to finally be getting representation after 16 years of the games life. previously, we were limited to a few options that generally all resulted in the same looking character, making it seem like there was a clone army in middle earth. these new options allow for the creation of a diverse range of humans, as well as a sense of uniqueness and individuality the game did not have before.

from ZERO (0) afro-textured hairs to a multitude of BEAUTIFUL options to choose from (that only will get better on release), i can say LOTRO is moving in the right direction in terms of inclusivity. as someone with curly hair, i was surprised as well as delighted to see new curly hair options! never in a game have i seen curls so nicely done. usually, they look very blocky or lazily drawn on but the curl definition of these hairstyles are INCREDIBLY realistic! so for that i say thank you. surely there are some bugs (scalp clearly visible for some of the curly hairstyles, mostly the buns), but altogether they look great. very excited to see how this turns out. GREAT JOB AND THANK YOU SSG! im hoping elves and high elves get some attention next (long hairstyles please!!!)

I totally agree. I'd like to add that people of a cerul disposition are also sadly excluded from even the test server's most inclusive expansions. I must heartily protest this injustice on behalf of that most ignored of minorities: the Fugates. To date I have only seen this color represented in Avatar and the Star Wars Chiss. If a genetic abnormality such as PCOS causing full grown beards can be included, then why not the Fugates?

And it will have no impact upon your character as you will be free to pick any other hue, DONT USE THEM! (although swapping to it for roleplay would be most lovely)

I have a character planned with another genetic abnormality in mind in conjunction with blue skin: red eyes from Albinism. Reserved the name now for my Corsair: Mitthrawnuruodo. Hopefully there's a title with Grand Admiral or I'll have to resort to insist on being called that.

[PreemptiveRegret]

I totally agree. I'd like to add that people of a cerul disposition are also sadly excluded from even the test server's most inclusive expansions. I must heartily protest this injustice on behalf of that most ignored of minorities: the Fugates. To date I have only seen this color represented in Avatar and the Star Wars Chiss. If a genetic abnormality such as PCOS causing full grown beards can be included, then why not the Fugates?

And it will have no impact upon your character as you will be free to pick any other hue, DONT USE THEM! (although swapping to it for roleplay would be most lovely)

/signed

Why can't I have a blue skinned Lakshmi Tatma type character? They COULD exist right, what does matter if it doesn't actually represent what's actual, it COULD be after all. Tolkien and his lore be damned, it's 2023 after all.

Please give us blue skinned octopus people in the character creation for the sake of diversity, which is always good and never inappropriate. Anything less is a hate crime.

[deaddove]

Although I haven't been as active on LOTRO in a while, I had thoroughly enjoyed playing new content updates and even raiding for a time again.

With, this new proposed update... if its implemented on live servers, I'll just uninstall without looking back. Its immersion breaking and insulting to Tolkien to the point of your dancing on his grave.

If you ever wanted an update to kill a MMO that's been active over a decade, this is an update that shows LOTRO is in its final days. If you want to dissolve SSG, lose your job and shut down LOTRO be my guest. I'll have no reason to help financially support the game.

After all,
'Pride' goes before a fall.

[TesalionLortus]

/signed

Why can't I have a blue skinned Lakshmi Tatma type character? They COULD exist right, what does matter if it doesn't actually represent what's actual, it COULD be after all. Tolkien and his lore be damned, it's 2023 after all.

Please give us blue skinned octopus people in the character creation for the sake of diversity, which is always good and never inappropriate. Anything less is a hate crime.

That's why I said I would like some more colors for hairs too, which is not a joke, because at this point, given all these changes, wouldn't make much difference and I would like that. And I don't exactly ask for strongly purplish very outlandish things, rather more tame coloring, delicate shades, so it's a tame ask! The fact of the matter is there is more to identity in 21st century than where you were born at or your genetics. You're not gonna exactly represent a blind or disabled person as avatar, there is no way, but anything to do with appearance and how one choses to style themselves depending on their subculture identity - sure, you can. So, come on, representation choices and even more customizations.

Though I would be happier if they added more natural skin colors on the left going more towards pale too... plus some of these missing haristyles, ethnicities, beards, straight hairs, or new options like paint/tattoo which may align more with the lore customizations and recreations of lore cultures...

[Elmagor]

I totally agree. I'd like to add that people of a cerul disposition are also sadly excluded from even the test server's most inclusive expansions. I must heartily protest this injustice on behalf of that most ignored of minorities: the Fugates. To date I have only seen this color represented in Avatar and the Star Wars Chiss. If a genetic abnormality such as PCOS causing full grown beards can be included, then why not the Fugates?

And it will have no impact upon your character as you will be free to pick any other hue, DONT USE THEM! (although swapping to it for roleplay would be most lovely)

I have a character planned with another genetic abnormality in mind in conjunction with blue skin: red eyes from Albinism. Reserved the name now for my Corsair: Mitthrawnuruodo. Hopefully there's a title with Grand Admiral or I'll have to resort to insist on being called that.

Maybe we need ignore anything created by Tolkien? Who cares about Avatar and the Star Wars, they have their own games and their own problems

[miriadel]

eh, this will ultimately go down like the beornings, the brawler, the first avatar changes and any other "controversial" thing added to the game: people will cry about it for maybe a month and then forget about it and go on their lotro life like they always did. mountains out of molehills.

[Elmagor]

eh, this will ultimately go down like the beornings, the brawler, the first avatar changes and any other "controversial" thing added to the game: people will cry about it for maybe a month and then forget about it and go on their lotro life like they always did. mountains out of molehills.

So beorning class lore breaking now? Yes, they keep changing, and they keep silence.

Like they decide remove rep bonus tomes in 12 hours before downtime and yet to do anything related to that. For more when year people asking give us other source for tomes or revamp factions so we don't need spend months and months for outdated factions. Devs don't do anything with it, and even on another question about it Cordvan say what they don't want to see people spend their millions of marks for them. Ok, why don't put them in other places?

[miriadel]

yes, according to a lot of people back then and now they are, but that's not the point. the point is that there will be an outcry for a short while, and then nobody will care about any of this, including those screeching right now. no idea what stat tomes have to do with any of this, tho...

[TesalionLortus]

yes, according to a lot of people back then and now they are, but that's not the point. the point is that there will be an outcry for a short while, and then nobody will care about any of this, including those screeching right now.

Players be players and they will run those dailies of course, and so it continues. (those who didn't quit, I mean).

But it's more about SSG really and their workflow and choices they make, even though there are better ways that won't alienate some players. Smart companies and devs should learn from such things, even if many players remain compliant - especially in endeavors that actually rely on creativity (oh well, unless you're Hollywood or AAA game studio where a long running franchise title is enough to keep you afloat with seemingly minimal effort)

[Tarbel]

the point is that there will be an outcry for a short while, and then nobody will care about any of this, including those screeching right now.

True, because those players will leave. This nonsense does not belong in the game. It's only going to cause players to quit, many more to alienated, and even more to never get past the character creation screen.

I'm just one person, but I promise this: if this update goes live as is, I will never give SSG another cent.

[WhimsicalPacifist]

Maybe we need ignore anything created by Tolkien? Who cares about Avatar and the Star Wars, they have their own games and their own problems

Precisely. Tolkien is dead and buried. I'm alive and living. My subjective individual expression as a living customer trumps anything from the books in this world where 2+2=5. To better serve this end, the devs should implement a color wheel skin/hair color selector and I'll be able to create the exact person I imagine my digital avatar to be. Ideally with hex code textbox inputs to get the incandescent eyes just right.

I used to have to imagine myself as Thrawn, plomped into Middle-Earth by the Purgill Space Whales, but now the means of making other people see my innermost fantasy could come true.

C.S. Lewis wrote the Poison of Subjectivism. In these modern times, it needs to be rewritten as the Joy of Subjectivism.

[elvenes]

meh, the only time people quit the game and the repercussions were truly felt and tangible was during the Helms Deep fiasco, and that was purely for gameplay reasons, not cosmetic. there won't be any mass quitting over avatars like there wasn't the first time they changed em.

[DavidmeetHal]

meh, the only time people quit the game and the repercussions were truly felt and tangible was during the Helms Deep fiasco, and that was purely for gameplay reasons, not cosmetic. there won't be any mass quitting over avatars like there wasn't the first time they changed em.

I don't recall this, what happened with Helm's Deep when it came out?

Aside from a couple of people, no one is really talking about quitting over the bearded ladies, just talking about how stupid it is.

[PreemptiveRegret]

yes, according to a lot of people back then and now they are, but that's not the point. the point is that there will be an outcry for a short while, and then nobody will care about any of this, including those screeching right now. no idea what stat tomes have to do with any of this, tho...

Only the people that are left.

I don't recall this, what happened with Helm's Deep when it came out?

Aside from a couple of people, no one is really talking about quitting over the bearded ladies, just talking about how stupid it is.

Big Battles.

And perverting Tolkien with politics is just 1 more straw on the camel's back in a long list of bad decisions. Lots of people are unhappy over lots of things, everything from lag to poorly designed class revamps to the functional removal of cosmetic pets to name a few. Adding shemales to Middle Earth doesn't help. I really have to wonder who the hell the Devs think they are pandering to? No one asked for this. I guess political theater is easier than doing something to make the game better, that way you can pretend you are doing something meaningful.

[Neinda]

For all those who are currently annoyed over the changes, I have a question. Why is it ok and within the lore when a male character (with a beard many times) runs around in a dress and it is not ok if a female character runs around in a dress (or whatever) with a beard? I am trying to understand the logic and why one thing is acceptable and the other is not.

[PreemptiveRegret]

For all those who are currently annoyed over the changes, I have a question. Why is it ok and within the lore when a male character (with a beard many times) runs around in a dress and it is not ok if a female character runs around in a dress (or whatever) with a beard? I am trying to understand the logic and why one thing is acceptable and the other is not.

There's nothing stopping a man from wearing a dress.

Women cannot grow beards outside of .000001% genetic freaks. A small amount of facial hair is not a beard, despite how political shills in this thread try to obfuscate things and move goalposts.

This is confusing to you? Really? Yeah, I believe that.

[Fealhach]

The straw that broke the camel's back. Well done.

[Aranaan]

For all those who are currently annoyed over the changes, I have a question. Why is it ok and within the lore when a male character (with a beard many times) runs around in a dress and it is not ok if a female character runs around in a dress (or whatever) with a beard? I am trying to understand the logic and why one thing is acceptable and the other is not.

I think this is just the point many is trying to get through.

We already have many things in lotro that breaks the lore and immersion and some players use this to troll with and have fun.
But it always have been minor things and something needed to create content for certain areas of the game.

This update is nothing but political correctness, if they implement beard on females and all the odd weird hair that really does not belong in middle earth.
Cordovan even admitted that in the Bullroarer post.

Have this been any other game, I would not give a rat ###, but I do love Tolkien and his writings, which is the sole reason Im playing this game.
And every time they implement something that reminds me more of WoW, the game becomes less attractive.
The cosmetics from events and certain mounts, belong more in WoW, than lotro. But I guess SSG are trying to grab customers where they can.

I havent touched or even botheres to play Dungeons&Dragons that SSG also runs.
I do play EVE-online, the best mmo there is, because its the only true sandbox mmo (and trolls can be taken out in that game, meaning there are few of them).
And you should see what they have done with character creation and that game is as old as this one, but they are lightyears ahead of SSG.

[TesalionLortus]

Sadly the entire bearded females addition, which is a little weird and completely unnecessary, overshadowed the conversation. This is also not as much about any lore purity, because there is nothing wrong with various ethnicities and skin colors in Middle-earth in the lore.

Beards is a part of it, to be sure, and people question why do that anyway, but main reasons for overall disappointment and lore outbreak seem to be:

- no options reminiscent of POC characters we actually see in LOTRO's Middle-earth

- many of the styles some people been asking for aren't there (=utterly ignored feedback it would seem?)

- many NPCs still sport many amazing hair styles that aren't available to players and nothing alike provided to players (so same as above)

- old straight, long, more regular hairstyles look plain bad, compared to the new ones, but no new ones in this category added

- they removed all limits, yet still can't have elven hairstyles on men or some dwarven beards for men

- but you can have a female beard! (questionable importance)

- overall the saturation of highly specific hairstyles for 30+ newly created hairstyles, at the expense of everything mentioned above

- no new beards

- no paint or perhaps tattoos feature, some people mentioned they expected Beorning paint to be made available at least

- no new origins reflective of various places of Middle-earth to choose from, only the currently existing Western places despite being able to create a literal Far Asian man (sooo... from beyond the bounds of the map of Middle-earth I reckon, far East of Rhun, would be neat if that was an actual mentioned place with its own name, say in the origin text)

Granted, I think they added this statetement to release notes?

"We know there is more work to do to offer a wider variety of character creation options, and we will be following up this release with additional options in the future."

So hopefully we get more things!