Feedback: Producer's Letter March – 2011

[Sylux14]

Someone dash my hopes now before I get too excited.

[BellusDuFenna]

A couple of weeks ago in my video podcast I devoted most of the episode to calling Turbine out on several issues.

1. The lack of communication from Kate Paiz since December. A new Letter was well overdue.
2. Where is the increased rate of content updates promised last October by Paiz?
3. How is it possible to get out Update 3 for the Anniversary (as it was described in December by Paiz as an "Anniversary Update"), when Update 2 came out a month before said Anniversary? Especially since Paiz claimed it would include a new raid and new instances.

Well, lo and behold, all of those issues have been addressed in this latest Producer's Letter. While Update 3 won't really coincide with the Anniversary, she did clarify what we can expect to see in that update, as well as give us a rough time-frame for its arrival. If Turbine is able to get Update 3 out by late May, that will be the quickest Update-to-Update release turn-around that I recall. Before F2P was announced, the average was an update every 3 months (three updates and an expansion in the last couple of years). Going to updates every two months is great, in my opinion, if it can be sustained.

Now the question is, will Turbine be able to sustain this increased rate of updates (again, as Paiz said they would last October), as well as keep publishing fresh Producer's Letters on a timely basis? Four months is a long time to wait for information like this, and I know I appreciate Kate's letters, and looked forward to reading them every couple of months... even with the Store plugs. Remember guys, it's part of her job to push the Store, so we shouldn't be surprised to see those plugs.

But I digress.

I do hope that Turbine will be able sustain an increased rate of update releases, if this is the case we could see an Update 4 in late July, and maybe an Update 5 in September, assuming RoI doesn't get released until November or December as is usual for Turbine expansions. At the very least, we have to see an Update 4 before RoI, because May-to-September (let alone May-to-November or even December) is a really long time to wait for an update to the game, and not at all in keeping with Paiz' claim that F2P would bring more frequent updates to the game.

I choose to be optimistic about this, though, and applaud Kate for providing fresh information on the direction the game is headed.

P.S.: Thanks for the Skirmish Reset Token! I really could use a few of those!

[Firebryt]

Thanks for the info and the update! I have to say I picked a great time to come back to Middle-Earth!

I saw Bilbo's trolls today, and was amazed and misty-eyed! To think the trolls I used to conjure up in my head when I was 13 and read these books were actually brought to the screen like this is something I really never expected to see in my lifetime, and you folks pulled it off flawlessly!

From a BIG OLD fan :-D
Thanks!
Haladain

[jhan75]

Nope. As Kate said, they're new. Not conversions.

thanks for the update,

Though it would help to let newer players a chance to experience the battle instances
and also help cut down on development time and therefore more content(e.g. the moria skirms)

ever since newer instances with better loot comes out, these battle instances have been there w/o anyone running it and more often than not if they do know of its existence

only occasionally, cd/uru instances gets run because class legendary traits are tied to it

[Bryzinkta]

As many of you have doubtless noticed we have seen posts from testers on the Hard Mode roads commenting on the requirement to use Store potions in order to successfully complete the instances and now we have this most recent note acting as a shill for the Store with comments like:

The improved Morale potions and Battle potions of Restoration have also found permanent places on my hot bar

Despite all the earlier promises the Store has become a place to obtain items superior to those available in game and has bcome the means by which the players are milked of cash. It is disheartening that the game has taken such a direction.

Just think how much easier, and how much less meaningful, it would have been if Frodo & Sam could have bought a few Lembas from the Store as they struggled up the approach to Mount Doom.

I am surprised the WB/T have not yet started charging players TP to enter an instance; but I suspect that may only be a temporary situation until the work out the chraging model.

Turnstiles at the entrance perhaps?

[Bryzinkta]

since you've committed to spamming the store button on nearly every game screen...could you please relent for the sake of all our sanity?

Your sanity does not, at this time, have a TP value. Therefore the plan to place Store advertising, Store buttons, Store links and perhaps even Store Lore will continue as planned.

[Wanderv]

Isengard in December

prooflink pls

[Nyrion]

Glad to see the content output is going up. Great!

As to the 'store plugs', I'd say it's her job to promote the new stuff in the Store, and as usual I think people exaggerate the amount of advertising in the game.

[Artanisul]

Glad to see the content output is going up. Great!

As to the 'store plugs', I'd say it's her job to promote the new stuff in the Store, and as usual I think people exaggerate the amount of advertising in the game.

This post along with post 99 are incorrect. The lady is not the lead of Marketing...lol

We do not need the store plugs in a "state of the game"/"future of the game" letter unless it is to actually tell us of changes. The additions made in the letter were advertisements, not informative at all. Glad to see more and more people seeing the trend and less and less just fanboying it up. Reality is just that, facts are facts. My sig gets more and more true each update.

[DarkCntry]

This post along with post 99 are incorrect. The lady is not the lead of Marketing...lol

And that is where you're wrong...

As an executive producer, her customer-facing position is to basically 'evangelize' the game to the players, in other words, sell off aspects. One thing you have to be aware of in most game dev studios is that executive producers wear 30 different hats, all of which reach into almost every aspect of the company.

We do not need the store plugs in a "state of the game"/"future of the game" letter unless it is to actually tell us of changes. The additions made in the letter were advertisements, not informative at all. Glad to see more and more people seeing the trend and less and less just fanboying it up. Reality is just that, facts are facts. My sig gets more and more true each update.

The funny thing is that her plugs are just her opinion, not so much "ZOMG BUY ME" as people seem to believe. Matter of fact, if anyone purchases anything based upon her statements directly, then they have other issues to work out...

The store is going to have updates just like the game, and for many I'm sure they'd like to know what and when will be coming to it for the future. Just because you don't agree doesn't make it any less so.

As for the letter, sorry to burst your bubble, but these letters are just one step above general press releases...

[BellusDuFenna]

This post along with post 99 are incorrect. The lady is not the lead of Marketing...lol

Correct, she's the Lead Producer for a game she wants to see succeed, as would any Turbine employee. It is in their best interests to hype the game, and the Store in particular, to increase revenues. Also, anytime someone with the influence of a Kate Paiz posts a comment, it is a grand platform for some sort of marketing. It isn't like she posts on a daily basis, so when Paiz puts out a Letter like this, dropping a bit of marketing for the Store inside is just good business. Her letters are linked on pretty much every LOTRO gaming website, plus many other websites, on Twitter, Facebook, etc, so if Turbine wasn't including a little Marketing in these letters they would be missing out on a great opportunity.

So yes, it is not Kate Paiz' specific job to perform Marketing functions. However, any Turbine employee of any note has an element of marketing in their job, whenever they make a public statement. It's the nature of the beast.

[Awerth]

Are you going to start announcing all the stuff for next update a month before it's launch, much the same as you have done with update 2, I am quite eager to here about the next class development, any chance of some sneaks inside what you are intending to update on the classes?

[Roberto_the_First]

My feedback on the letter - thanks for the sneak peek at the months ahead.

It's too bad you can't give detailed plans for every piece of content release for every month for the next 14 years. That would satiate a lot of forum posters.

For myself, I'm taking it as it comes, and have a 'when it gets here, it gets here' attitude

[Arasul123]

After that, we’ll be introducing a new festival-like event where players will get a chance to spend a few days frantically searching for buried treasure. It’ll have some cool in-game rewards, and will likely be open for play periodically over the year.

I'm hoping that the "cool" in-game rewards are actually something to use to play hack and slay/fight evil creatures game that I though LOTRO was... The lipstick and letters of affection makes me ask "am I playing dress up Barbie?" Whoever came up with the lame random items bombarding the mail should be feed to the orcs fueling the ROI. If you're going to send things like that to our mail, at least let us mark it as spam and stop the follow of these ridiculouly UN-cool items.

[Das777]

Cool cant wait till Isenguard and Rohan... I have a couple of questions... First about Rohan and Isen... Will there be new classes to be introduced in the QP? If so will one be a more Calvary class? My thought is that when you guys put out Isenguard... you should have some big updated to mounts... E.G. a combat button (all classes) on the dismount bar that will allow you to sacrifice your speed on the mount to let your horse have combat worthy heath and also allow you to fight on your horse...that alone would save SOO much time when you are traveling through a Green lvl area and you don't have any reason to dismount and kill off the mob so that you may pass... I also ask what you are going to do about Heavily armored classes in the upcoming updates?

[MurkyMajare]

prooflink pls

No link alas, as it was not meant as a fact, but as a whine.

As for facts;

http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...2-Announcement

Where it as some point talks about 'Fall'

Fall in the US is generally defined as ending December 21st.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_does_fall_end

Other proof I suppose is looking at all their announcements, like update 2 in Q1, Moria in Fall and so on...
expansions/updates tend to arrive towards the end of the period announced.
So with Isengard they can be as late as 12.21 and still be correct about "Fall".

Thus... to validate my complaint/worries about no update between May and Isegard, I used a worst-case (and based on experience, likely) example of December.

************************
In regards to the store buttons everywhere...
Perhaps Turbine could sell "Hide button" options on each button for a TP per buttom removed?

[Macfeast]

No link alas, as it was not meant as a fact, but as a whine.

As for facts;

http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...2-Announcement

Where it as some point talks about 'Fall'

Fall in the US is generally defined as ending December 21st.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_does_fall_end

Other proof I suppose is looking at all their announcements, like update 2 in Q1, Moria in Fall and so on...
expansions/updates tend to arrive towards the end of the period announced.
So with Isengard they can be as late as 12.21 and still be correct about "Fall".

Thus... to validate my complaint/worries about no update between May and Isegard, I used a worst-case (and based on experience, likely) example of December.

************************
In regards to the store buttons everywhere...
Perhaps Turbine could sell "Hide button" options on each button for a TP per buttom removed?

F2P was scheduled for Fall 2010, and many seemed to think it would launch in December. Turned out to be early September. Not saying we are guaranteed to get Isengard before December, mind you, because I have no clue about when it will launch. Just wanted to mention that it is not always the worst-case scenario.

[spiritintelligencia]

To all those moaning about plugs for 'pay-to-win' potions:

I am a Guardian. I have played Guardian for 4 years. The Guardian in my sig is my second Guardian. I am excellent at playing my class... At no point in this game have I ever been forced to buy a potion to get through content.

End of story.

[GalateaOrea]

Correct, she's the Lead Producer for a game she wants to see succeed, as would any Turbine employee. It is in their best interests to hype the game, and the Store in particular, to increase revenues. Also, anytime someone with the influence of a Kate Paiz posts a comment, it is a grand platform for some sort of marketing. It isn't like she posts on a daily basis, so when Paiz puts out a Letter like this, dropping a bit of marketing for the Store inside is just good business. Her letters are linked on pretty much every LOTRO gaming website, plus many other websites, on Twitter, Facebook, etc, so if Turbine wasn't including a little Marketing in these letters they would be missing out on a great opportunity.

So yes, it is not Kate Paiz' specific job to perform Marketing functions. However, any Turbine employee of any note has an element of marketing in their job, whenever they make a public statement. It's the nature of the beast.

All true. None the less, this producer's letter reads more like a marketing piece for the store than the wonderfully informative and insider info of the first two. Take out the store shilling and there's not much there, which is disappointing. I'm not of the kin that hates the store and every mention of it and thinks it has ruined the game, but this letter was heavy on store and light on game.

As others have said often and everywhere, the long dark ruined my kin. Where we once easily filled 6-mans and even 12-mans from kin ranks, I have a hard time getting 3 people together for the new instances. I play less now than ever. Even though I like many of the new items in the store, and the promise of a skirmish trait resetter is great, btw, it doesn't make up for the lack of excitement and enjoyment I feel when I think about logging on.

[Yula_the_Mighty]

While I do so love the news of 2 new instances in the next update, I really don't like things unfinished. Anyone remember when they made GB, Helegrod, and Annuminas level scaleable? What's the news on that for the rest?

One of the big complaints I heard was. What no new instances. All Turbine did was put some glitter on old tired content. We want new instances that we have never seen before.

I personally liked the new Great Barrows, Helegrod, School at Tham Mirdan and others. I understand where they are going from.

This update Turbine addressed an issue close to my heart. The Volume 2 revamp with some more glitter on old tired content via the three 2.5.5 Skirmishes. We got 11 old instances that are either new or revamped in one fashion or another for this Update. Remember, Turbine gave Evendim a do over. Turbine probably gave all the instances at least a lick and a promise. The only change that I am aware of in this area is a scaling change to the three Annuminas instances. I suspect they messed with Tomb of Elendil, Twisted Heart and the "can not remember the name" - Tomb raider instance.

I love to see the Rift get a do ever. I have high expectations having spent time as a level 50 in the Rift instance. Rift, Carn Dum and Uru - these are big complicated instances. This is not something little like the Annuminas instances or the Tham Mirdan ones.

[WiltenRose]

I had been hoping for a new letter from Kate to come after the update. Glad to see it, though I was a little disappointed at how short it was.

Sapience, if you're reading this, I really think it would help if you would just confirm for everyone one more time that the devs are not and will not make content specifically geared to be accomplished by using store-exclusive items (Kate's letter does kind of have that flavor). Choosing to use uber-pots to run something on easy-mode is one thing. Making content that is virtually impossible to accomplish without uber-pots is another. I'm not afraid of this happening, but I think the fear of that is what is behind a lot of the moaning in this thread.

My personal experience of Update 2 has been very positive. I was lvl 65 for several months before the update and never managed to grind all the way up to tier 9 relics. Now, I have two very satisfying 2nd age weapons with all tier 6 extraordinary relics, not even trying very hard to grind them up. All the new content has been fun and challenging, and I am really digging the hunter changes specifically.

Looking forward to Update 3: please please please UPDATE THE FELLOWING PANEL NEXT!!!!

[Sapience]

Sapience, if you're reading this, I really think it would help if you would just confirm for everyone one more time that the devs are not and will not make content specifically geared to be accomplished by using store-exclusive items (Kate's letter does kind of have that flavor). Choosing to use uber-pots to run something on easy-mode is one thing. Making content that is virtually impossible to accomplish without uber-pots is another. I'm not afraid of this happening, but I think the fear of that is what is behind a lot of the moaning in this thread.

I think too many people are reading way too much into this one statement.Kate chooses to use the pots. Ok. I'm sure others do, too. I'm sure some people finish content with them and others without them. Depending on my mood, I do as well. I also, horror of horrors, eat bacon. I'm sure there are plenty of groups out there that hate me for it.

What I find interesting is that for the longest time we've been asked if producers, developers, and the LOTRO team in general play the game and yet here you are looking at a comment not only showing that Kate plays, but what she plays and how she chooses to play and basically ignoring it.

[Linwe-Elfmaiden]

After that, we’ll be introducing a new festival-like event where players will get a chance to spend a few days frantically searching for buried treasure. It’ll have some cool in-game rewards, and will likely be open for play periodically over the year.

I'm hoping that the "cool" in-game rewards are actually something to use to play hack and slay/fight evil creatures game that I though LOTRO was... The lipstick and letters of affection makes me ask "am I playing dress up Barbie?" Whoever came up with the lame random items bombarding the mail should be feed to the orcs fueling the ROI. If you're going to send things like that to our mail, at least let us mark it as spam and stop the follow of these ridiculouly UN-cool items.

Festival rewards NEED to be fluff since festivals are something players of ALL levels can participate in. And this may shock you, but I know many folks who enjoy getting those silly things especially the ones that let them tease and aggravate their fellow players-- this is something commonly known has "having fun"... and this IS a game.. fun is allowed you know. If you get something you do not like, discard it. (bombarding our mail? I have received maybe 5 of those types of items in the mail thus far, that is hardly bombarding).

[X-ecutioner]

Turbine or the Producer please read this.

I have a question about this update that relates to the difference on a players character look (mainly dwarf) like beards, hair and so on. what i have noticed is that the looks for the dwarf guard npc's have changed which do look pretty cool but i'm bothered by the fact that there is not a good variety of beards for OUR own characters (dwarves).
And turbine this issue can be fixed by importing beards from some of the moria dwarves (Bosi, Nafni, and Durin VI's epic beard from that session play the Fall of Moria) The Dourhand beard that looks similar to facial hair option 11 in the barber shop but not sticking out in weird angles like option 11. The dourhand hairstyle that looks similar to hairstyle 19 but it would be cool if our dwarf characters could use this hairstyle as well

I could continue if I really wanted to but you guys can look at more of my post in the dwarf beard forums. also I have also heard people who wanted more braided hairstyles for the race of man so they can look like their from Rowan or something.

[Hamri]

I see so many posts here complaining about Turbine and specifically Kate's mention of the store items in her letter. One thing to keep in mind is that there are many, many of us who normally would remain silent, because her mention of the store items DOESN'T bother us at all. After reading pages and pages of ranting, I decided I had to post this. I appreciate the information (albeit brief) that was given in the letter. The mention of store items doesn't bother me, and I'm sure there are tons of others out there as well who have a similar opinion to me.

Thanks Turbine. Please keep the content coming. :-)