Update 5 Developer Roundtable Feedback

[FordyTwo]

We sat down with several development team members to discuss the instances coming in Update 5. What do Frogger, rampaging trolls and rings have in common? Click here to find out and join the discussion here!

[Hipo]

Great stuff, really enjoyed reading that.

Looking forward to the cluster too. Sounds really really good.

I would just like to point out that I specificly liked the part where you guys were talking about players getting out of their comfort zones and trying bigger groups, that a goal of theirs was to have ppl in the biggest groups possible *raids*

I like that

[Nyrion]

It's always nice to see that the Developers are human beings sometimes.

I loved the in depth discussion on these instances, I may actually make an effort to try them, against my normally solo nature.

Edit: Incidentally, Frogger = Win.

[dietlbomb]

Joe: Ultimately we want people in the largest group size and hardest difficulty that we can nudge them up towards. Ideally players are thinking, "Sweet! We handled a three-man on Tier II and we totally almost finished the challenge, and that six-man over there, from what we've heard, isn't too bad. Let's see if we can find a couple buddies." Our goal is to get people to push a little bit outside their comfort zone and explore and find a little bit more of the game.

Will more casual groups be able to complete the Orthanc raid on Tier I? Also, would it be possible that the Tier I and Tier II versions of the raid not share the same raid locks, so that more advanced players would be able to help their struggling friends in Tier I?

[Crell_1]

Will more casual groups be able to complete the Orthanc raid on Tier I?

Absolutely.

Also, would it be possible for the Tier I and Tier II versions of the raid not share the same raid locks, so that more advanced players would be able to help their struggling friends in Tier I?

While a nice idea, I dont see this happening, it certainly isn't possible with existing tech, it also means they have to retweak the itemization/loot/rates to assume you'll be doing it on T1 all the time while plugging away at t2.

Our idea is we'll plug away at t2 until near the reset, then go through and do t1 either as a group or with friends.

[LeRaginAsian]

Very interesting stuff. I vaguely remembered Saruman calling himself Ring-Maker but I always assumed he was referring to the Ring of Isengard. The fact that he was actually wearing a potential homemade ring of power has eluded me in 10+ readings. Kudos for homing in on that, it makes the story of the instance cluster that much more immersive for me.

I'm still not quite sold on the idea of eagles saving us from the summit (given a certain world-saving task they could be attending to instead) but I admit it brings us full-circle nicely from talking to Gwaihir in Galadriel's garden and the session play from the last epic book.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

[Crell_1]

Moving my question here since we've got an official thread going :


Do we have server +handles for Content Design Manager Derek Flippo or Worldbuilder Dan Ouellette?

It's nice to attach a name to a face or a piece of content.

[Drackulis]

Nice stuff here, enjoyed the read. I like the way the devs try to make the instances more dynamic than the classic trash-boss-trash-boss tradition. The three-man raids sound pretty exciting as well. However, I'm still a little uneasy about the whole 'Meeting Saruman' thing, and destroying his ring. Oh well, hopefully it turns out well, and does not break the lore too much.

[Estranger]

Looks cool. But how about a date!!

[jamiechaos]

The thing I love about this game (no matter how many little things cheese me off) is that the people building it are as invested in the lore as the people playing it. That means more than anything else, in the grand scheme of things, and every time I witness its display anew, it warms the cockles of my black little heart.

But while I am not going to get into my minor annoyance at the "comfort zone" remark (because the raid vs. solo debate has been done to death, with my assistance even, and I don't think this is the place to revive it) I wish that there was some mechanism by which I might actually get to witness the battle with Saruman. Because I am a minstrel, and even if I join a party and go do this, I will never see the fight... I will see readouts, rising and falling, and dropping to zero if I fail hard enough, but that is all I will see; that is all I ever see.

Nevertheless, this sounds awesome, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it very much once I dig up a YouTube video to see what I (will have) missed.

[Martigan]

Dear Devs please read this thread http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...-everyone-gone

It's long but it's important.

thanks

[Nakiami]

Looks cool. But how about a date!!

Hey! That's no way to talk to a lady!

[Atrex]

Sounds interesting.


By the way, did you guys use the google translator for the german translation of this ?

[RicardoFurriel]

15 replies to this thread in 10 hours. What do you think?

[megaboy]

2 things bug me about that discussion

the top of Orthanc is not that big, i dont see how they are going to fit a raid battle up there without making the space NOT Orthanc.

also....yule fest in january is a bunch of bollocks.

[Malachi108]

the top of Orthanc is not that big, i dont see how they are going to fit a raid battle up there without making the space NOT Orthanc.

Have you seen the top of Orthanc in the Session Play? It is much bigger than Gortheron room for example. Or equal to the top of Dol Guldur for that matter.

[Aranaphalion]

We couldn't get away from the inescapable truth that we are in Isengard and with that comes a very clear expectation that, if there's a cluster in Isengard, we're fighting Saruman. That is what every player is going to want and expect to be happening.

That is a rather general and braod assumption. I, for once, never wanted and expected to fight the guy. I would have been absolutely happy if Saruman only had stood on his balcony, pointed and laughed at me and my foolishness to try to mess with him.

While not the biggest lore guy in this forum and always having a rather lenient stance to it compared to others, even I see right from the bat a few "ripple effect" problems concerning the later actions of Saruman in the books, when taking this "heroes running rampant in Isengart" matter into account. But I guess these have been already thoroughly discussed by more knowledgable persons here in the forums.

Besides that with my main being a Champion I really dislike 3 man instances. It is a plain pain for a champion to get accepted into a 3 man that is not faceroll level like Sch-Lib. It is, I think, a telltale sign that I am up to this day unable to find a group to do T2 HM in Halls of Night and Forsaken Cavern and that those are my only instances apart from bugged Annuminas where I have still the deeds unfinished.

Talking about comfort zone, I am pushed both lore wise and content wise well out of mine.

[Leonide]

Besides that with my main being a Champion I really dislike 3 man instances. It is a plain pain for a champion to get accepted into a 3 man that is not faceroll level like Sch-Lib. It is, I think, a telltale sign that I am up to this day unable to find a group to do T2 HM in Halls of Night and Forsaken Cavern and that those are my only instances apart from bugged Annuminas where I have still the deeds unfinished.

Talking about comfort zone, I am pushed both lore wise and content wise well out of mine.

You will like Fangorn Edge then

[opurt]

While a nice idea, I dont see this happening, it certainly isn't possible with existing tech,

Really? They seem to do it just fine with skirmishes.

[ThePuzzler]

15 replies to this thread in 10 hours. What do you think?

Well, obviously it means the game is dying and that ToR has destroyed any hope LotR still had. What else could it mean?

[JasonEvan]

Brazen use of the term, "carrot on a stick" aside, the instances sound fun. I can't help but think that they had to deviate from how they are handling the epic line though. To say that the RoI Epic ended abruptly is a misnomer. That epic didn't feel fleshed out. What does that have to do with this round table post? I feel like us fighting Saruman, who Aragorn and Gandalf would have to struggle to keep their wits about them just in a conversation with the guy makes it seem like us fighting him is starting to show signs that this writing team is struggling to keep the game's story tied to the lore.

I think NOT completing RoI as a package and releasing it in two chunks hurts this game long term. Why build up all our time with the Rangers only to have it end so abruptly?