Update 9 Developer Diary - Instance Cluster Feedback

[Celestrata]

The Shadow in the East arises once more. Darkness threatens to spread across Middle-earth. War is coming. Knowing that the Ring has been found and that the Dark Lord Sauron has begun to call all evil to himself, Gandalf the Grey seeks news of the allies and enemies of the past. Learn more in this developer diary and post your comments here.

[Fortinobrand]

Comments? First time I clicked the link I got a page with text, no formatting. I assumed the CSS had popped out for a spot of tea. Tried again several times, and am getting a 403 error.

So my comment -- hang your heads in shame, publicly apologize to the player base (your customers!) for the horrific forum and community system, and get something better in place.

[Piedtendre]

403 Forbidden ...

The Lord of the Rings Online "BETA" forum, yes, we know

[Nyrion]

Managed to finally get it to work on Firefox, so here goes:

First, I liked that each Developer got a chance to talk about their stuff in this. Granted each part was briefer as a result, but the diary as a whole is a good size which makes up for it.

The teaser to the second cluster is very intriguing by the way. Might not get to try them, but it'll be cool for people to go to a brand new part of Middle-earth.

[Mar-Evayave]

Page loads fine for me, though I'm quite bleary-eyed from my attempt to read it. I put my feedback on the new site in the other dev diary about the quest-travel thing. The website makes my eyes hurt...

[JeauxLOTR]

........ though I'm quite bleary-eyed from my attempt to read it. ........... The website makes my eyes hurt...

I agree, need to have a more Reader Friendly color combination. The New Diaries are very hard on the eyes.

[Cazthelm]

Getting 403 error too...

[Crell_1]

What is happening to EXISTING: Medallions of the Dark ? What is happening to 'Medallions of Dol Guldur'? Can we still acquire the original L65 sets at their locations for whatever the equivalent converted currency is?

What kind of locks are you setting for Dol Guldur? Will it continue with its existing Bi-weekly locks?

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

What is happening to EXISTING: Medallions of the Dark ? What is happening to 'Medallions of Dol Guldur'? Can we still acquire the original L65 sets at their locations for whatever the equivalent converted currency is?

What kind of locks are you setting for Dol Guldur? Will it continue with its existing Bi-weekly locks?

I logged in last night to check on my Medallions of Dol Guldur. They were gone from my barter wallet. I assume they got auto-converted.

We really need someone to do a character copy who hasn't done it yet that has medallions on live.

I am pretty sure I had an armor barter token for boots or something as well. That didn't appear to be in the wallet either.. but I am not certain if I am remembering correctly on that one.

[Crell_1]

The barters on BR had not been changed last I checked. Because both of these are Bind-To-Account currencies/barter tokens. the only way to transfer them to Bullroarer is to find someone who has it and DOESNT have the Premium barter wallet. Hence my questions here (that and the fact that the combat diary shows some (to me) major changes from our Bullroarer build. I'm hoping someone with a more current picture can answer =)

[Darkheart06]

All I can say is...about damn time Goblin Town got its own instance! One of my favorite places in the game. It even made legendary page grinding fun. I don't even mind doing Mirkwood instances runs again. They were challenging and well designed and I didn't get to experience as much of them as I did older content.

Are the remote looting chests going to be a standard for future instances? I hope so, it's something LoTRO sorely needed. This is the year 2012, afterall.

And I have to agree with others- the white text and black background makes my eyes hurt.

[LagunaD]

Boromir, having been assailed by goblins as he neared his destination of Rivendell, warns you that a new Great Goblin has arisen within the Misty Mountains;

Boromir came to Rivendell via the Gap of Rohan and would have been nowhere near Goblintown.

"If we cannot cross the mountain, let us journey southwards, until we come to the Gap of Rohan, where men are friendly to my people, taking the road that I followed on my way hither."
- A Journey in the Dark (emphasis added)

[phillbvi2]

The Shadow in the East arises once more. Darkness threatens to spread across Middle-earth. War is coming. Knowing that the Ring has been found and that the Dark Lord Sauron has begun to call all evil to himself, Gandalf the Grey seeks news of the allies and enemies of the past. Learn more in this developer diary and post your comments here.

um... is he still Gandalf the Grey at this point in the story? I know the setting for these 3 mans is pre-fellowship time, but the second half seems to be set in Return of the King times...

[Schinderhannes]

For those who have permission issues with the links to the diary or other links on the forum: Try using another browser! I switched from firefox to chrome and now I can read the diaries.

But you can also read this:

Riders of Rohan Instance Cluster, Part I


The Shadow in the East arises once more. Darkness threatens to spread across Middle-earth. War is coming. Knowing that the Ring has been found and that the Dark Lord Sauron has begun to call all evil to himself, Gandalf the Grey seeks news of the allies and enemies of the past. Who can he depend upon to come to the aid of the Free Peoples, and what forces might be arrayed against them?

The story begins in Bree before Frodo and his friends arrive. Gandalf sends you to speak with Elrond at Rivendell, and he in turn directs you to the representatives of the Free Peoples who have come to his home in search of answers, and ultimately participate in the Council of Elrond. In Part I, Elrond sends you to speak with Legolas, Boromir, and Glorfindel. Each then asks you to aid their allies or hinder their foes. Legolas sends you to help the scouts of his father Thranduil as they scour the Scuttledells of Mirkwood for origin of the Great Spiders; Boromir, having been assailed by goblins as he neared his destination of Rivendell, warns you that a new Great Goblin has arisen within the Misty Mountains; and Glorfindel tells you to aid the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains, who have been robbed of an egg by the Stone Giants who dwell there.



Webs of the Scuttledells

Berephon here. In Webs of the Scuttledells, players help Thranduil’s scouts as they seek for the cause the Great Spiders’ stirring. A wounded scout at the beginning of the instance warns the players that the spiders overwhelmed him and his companions. Many of those traveling with him were captured in their snares.

Along the path, players discover an ancient Woodman burial ground that has been disturbed by the spirits of the Enemy, raising the dead as foul wights under the leadership of a draug-lord. After defeating the Dead, the trio continues deeper into the Scuttledells, fighting through swarms of spiders, until they reach the cavern where Dígelir, queen of the Great Spiders of Mirkwood, has established her nest. There, the players must confront the spider-queen upon her own expansive web over a great chasm below.

While the instance space is generally new, we tried to capture and maintain the atmosphere of the Scuttledells, with its densely packed trees, cobweb covering, and narrow pathways. Along the path, players search cocoons for the missing scouts, sometimes finding things better left undisturbed. New web bridges and combustible webbing add to the creepy effect and highlight the battle with Dígelir at the end of the space . . . watch your step!



Seat of the Great Goblin

Hey everyone, Pinion here to talk about Seat of the Great Goblin. While it’s no surprise that Goblin-town is a tremendously iconic location in Middle-earth, I wanted to ensure that this new interpretation stayed true to the source material while still providing a very different experience from our existing instance in the Misty Mountains. With all the different varieties of goblins that make their home here, I felt it greatly important to distinguish them both in appearance and in drastically varied abilities. I wanted each monster to feel noticeably different, so that varied combinations throughout the space would provide a new challenge. Goblin-town features fairly large yet still manageable pulls for a 3-player space. This design was driven by the idea that each goblin, while not overwhelmingly strong on their own, could become so in a large enough force.

Goblin-town always had a very striking design to it. Thankfully, I was able to employ a few of my favorite features in Seat of the Great Goblin – raised walkways, a grand throne platform, the inclusion of Gollum’s cave, and an even deeper pit. In designing the two boss encounters, I wanted to ensure that the fights were both very different and memorable. While they were inspired by the monster types of the Goblin-town Throne Room’s encounters, that is where the similarities end – one is designed to be a controlled, visual-oriented fight, while the other features a wealth of drama and a far more frantic pace

Goblin-town has always been dear to me, and it was truly a pleasure to have the chance to bring it to life in a new form in LOTRO. Below, I’ve included a picture of the new throne room of Goblin-town, as well as a brief description of the space’s narrative:



In the absence of any significant enemy, the goblins have grown craftier than ever, employing their ever-volatile sappers and cruel traps against any who might threaten them. Filthy debris and half-finished structures litter Goblin-town and pour into the pit of a surly troll, the oft-neglected pet of the sitting Great Goblin, Uloga. However, since the fall of the Great Goblin by Gandalf’s hand, the rule of Goblin-town has not long remained under one goblin, as others are more than eager to seize power the moment the chance presents itself. Nevertheless, as a part of Gandalf’s charge, you must ensure that Goblin-town cannot rise again to become a great threat to Eriador during so pivotal a time in The War of the Ring.




Iorbar’s Peak

Hey everyone, it’s me, Sleepy! I’ve been working on a new 3-man instance called Iorbar’s Peak, and it focuses on the stone-giants of the Misty Mountains. While we know from Tolkien’s works that the giants are an unpredictable and dangerous race, we know very little else about them. In this instance, you will encounter a new type of giant that has yet to be seen in our journey through Middle-Earth. Their reckless and primitive nature will be a focus of many of the skills and game-play mechanics, but their fantastic new appearance (Thanks, LOTRO art team!) also helps to give them a distinct flavor and background. Secluding themselves among the storms and rock walls of the mountain tops, they have developed an exterior that more closely matches the elements of nature surrounding them. Here’s a summary of the underlying narrative, to help pique your interest. (You see what I did there?) Cheers!



The sloping cliffs and snow covered ledges of Iorbar’s Peak rise above the caves and crude stone dwellings of the Misty Mountains giant-folk. It is there that the stone-giant, Helf, has managed to withdraw. In his possession is the stolen egg of a great eagle, and he has begun to prepare it for his next meal. Lord Gwaihir, in his distress, has sent a request for the aid of any adventurers daring enough to ascend the passage to Helf’s home.

Recovering the egg will be no simple task! The stone-giants command a stable of dangerous pets upon the mountain-side; they have formed an uneasy alliance with the cunning Dourhand dwarves; and are capable of hurling rocks and boulders down upon those who trespass along the twisting paths. Do you have the dedication and skill to overcome these many obstacles, and to liberate the egg from peril? Helf awaits your answer.



Return to Dol Guldur

Return Dol Guldur to challenge the denizens of this ancient fortress and to do battle with the Lieutenant who calls it home. Barad Guldur, Dungeons of Dol Guldur, Sammath Gûl, Sword-halls and Warg-pens now all scale from 65 to 85 and feature 2 tiers of difficulty. The Dungeons have been converted to a full fellowship instance and the Sword-halls have been significantly restructured. All the instances have seen bugfix and polish passes to smooth out previous issues and ensure high quality play.



Rewards

Hello all, xRockx here! Instance and raid rewards are slated to enter into some very interesting territory with the next update. Among other things, we’ve added the ability for treasure chests to support the Remote Looting tech introduced in Rohan. This is going to have a significant impact on how players get rewards.

Within the new update, chests in scaling Dol Guldur and the new 3-mans will automatically create rewards for each member of the group’s pending loot-list as soon as the chest is opened by someone. Each person will get their own loot at their own odds independent of everyone else in the fellowship. These chests will not recognize the standard loot rules we’ve used in the past. This means no more rolling on loot for these chests!

In addition, we’re creating and delivering unique item lists for each class. This means the Rune-keeper in the group may see different equipment rewards from the Burglar, who may see different rewards from the Guardian, who may see different rewards from the Captain. You should never see a piece of equipment within your personal loot-list which your character’s class could not potentially use.

Since each player is effectively getting their own version of the chest with its own drop rates, the RNG-fairy may be stingy and not give anyone a juicy reward from an instance. On the flip side, the RNG-fairy may be super nice and give all members of a group a juicy reward. You are no longer guaranteed one teal item at the end of the small fellowship instance, as a group you may get none, but you also may get one for each person.

To help address issues of players in groups getting a bad streak of RNG, or players wanting non-traditional items for their class, nearly all drops in instances and raids will be Bind on Equip. If your Kinship would prefer to handle 2nd Age Symbols via a DKP-esque system, you are more than welcome to…just remember the group leader will no longer have everything handled via Master Loot. Legendary quality drops will remain Bind on Acquire.

In regards to Legendary quality equipment, we’re bringing it back in force. Each class will have two new pieces of Legendary quality equipment available in the instances / raids – one from the Dol Guldur cluster and one from the new 3-mans. Each piece will be exceedingly rare, though the larger the group, the higher the chance for it to drop.



The Road to Erebor

As the story winds to a conclusion in Part II, you will speak with Gimli, who will tell of troubles in the North. Fast forward to the Battle of Dale at the end of the War of the Ring as Easterlings, Orcs, and Olog-hai assail Dale and the Lonely Mountain. Within the streets of Dale and the shadow of the Lonely Mountain, you will fight alongside Brand and Dáin as they lead their people against their foes and seek drive back the darkness.

[Ferthcott]

The barters on BR had not been changed last I checked. Because both of these are Bind-To-Account currencies/barter tokens. the only way to transfer them to Bullroarer is to find someone who has it and DOESNT have the Premium barter wallet. Hence my questions here (that and the fact that the combat diary shows some (to me) major changes from our Bullroarer build. I'm hoping someone with a more current picture can answer =)

I just copied my toon with 3 DG medallions - after logging in I found 30 "ordinary" ones instead. I do not have "special" BG tokens on hand, so no idea about conversion rate - if any.


Side note: two "suddenly incomplete" deeds "quests in Moria" made me scratch my head a little. Moria revamp is being aggressive

[Zaddoc]

So how will this work? We are going to meet Gimli and co, but then meet them again when we arrive at the various instances through the book quests?!

The storyline really is falling apart isn't it, and it was this games strongest asset not so long ago. It seamlessly fit into the books, now it steps all over them in a vain attempt to correlate it into every aspect of the book.

I hope you are modifying the book quests to reflect these new instances.

[Armaius]

The storyline really is falling apart isn't it, and it was this games strongest asset not so long ago. It seamlessly fit into the books, now it steps all over them in a vain attempt to correlate it into every aspect of the book.

That's really more because the story is suddenly moving a lot faster. With Volumes I and (most of) Volume II, the Fellowship was in one place (Rivendell, Lothlorien). It made it easier for the devs when constructing a story that fit the timeline...sort of. A very implausible amount of traveling took place in Vol I, way more than 2 (or was it 3 months the Fellowship stayed in Rivendell?) months should have allowed.

And then of course there was the really insane set-up with Vol. III, Book 6 where we grabbed Nona, headed north and east into Moria, and into Lothlorien just so we could meet with Galadrial all because of a bad dream.

But as for these new 3-Mans instances...they're plainly set at an earlier point in the timeline than the Rohan landmass is and earlier than even later parts of Vol. I. If we're going to get to see and do it all, the devs have to invoke timelord powers.

[Celestrata]

So for those of you getting errors, was there an https:// prefix before the link, or was there a straight http:// link?

If it was the latter, then it was my fault when I posted the diaries. I quickly corrected it however. But, if it's not the https://, then let me know what browser you're on and I can pass that to the team. This is the type of information that they need to know so they can fix it.

[Fredelas]

So for those of you getting errors, was there an https:// prefix before the link, or was there a straight http:// link?

If it was the latter, then it was my fault when I posted the diaries. I quickly corrected it however. But, if it's not the https://, then let me know what browser you're on and I can pass that to the team. This is the type of information that they need to know so they can fix it.

Using Chrome, I'm getting an HTTP 403 Forbidden error on all the images on the dev diaries. The text shows up, styled correctly, but there are no images at all, not even the headers. I also can't even load the main www.lotro.com site due to an HTTP 403 Forbidden error.

I do not get any errors in Firefox.

This is the link I followed: http://www.lotro.com/en/game/articles/update-9-riders-rohan-instance-cluster-part-i

[Crell_1]

I just copied my toon with 3 DG medallions - after logging in I found 30 "ordinary" ones instead. I do not have "special" BG tokens on hand, so no idea about conversion rate - if any.


Side note: two "suddenly incomplete" deeds "quests in Moria" made me scratch my head a little. Moria revamp is being aggressive

That means 1 Medallion of DG is worth 10 Medallions. Woot!

Now if you could swing out to Ost Galad I think it is and check the barter we'll have a better idea whats going on there..

The moria quest deed is for a brand new hub =)

[LoyKashka]

The Devs aren't really invoking timelord powers in this cluster as far as I can tell. In LOTRO, time is dependant upon area, hence, Lothlorien is always frozen at that one date (can't remember, but it's feburary). Bree and Rivendell are earlier. Since these instances are scalable from fairly low (20?) to max level, they should not be viewed as the next step in the plot of the Epics, but rather a new plotline that starts earlier (like I.4.1) and continues onward. So to new characters, there won't be any odd timing.

[Fortinobrand]

All on Windows 7 --

Chrome, Version 23.0.1271.95 m -- 403 error. Since by many metrics this is the most used non-mobile platform browser in the world there's a fair chance it's impacting a lot of players.

IE 9.0.8112.16421 -- Black page loads, small blurry white letters load, images are not loading.

Firefox 12.0 -- Page loads, is less blurry than IE, and images load.

I guess the web team at Turbin is exclusively proofing pages in Firefox. Seems an odd choice with FF having fallen to a distant 3rd in the browser wars. Largely due to an ongoing memory leak issue paired with crashing issues, Symmetry detected.

[Mar-Evayave]

All I can say is...about damn time Goblin Town got its own instance!

Well, it technically did already have an instance (the throne room thing) but I agree. About time it had a real instance (one relatively small chamber doesn't really make a significant difference).

For those who have permission issues with the links to the diary or other links on the forum: Try using another browser! I switched from firefox to chrome and now I can read the diaries.

I'm using Firefox and accessing the page just fine.

So for those of you getting errors, was there an https:// prefix before the link, or was there a straight http:// link?

If it was the latter, then it was my fault when I posted the diaries. I quickly corrected it however. But, if it's not the https://, then let me know what browser you're on and I can pass that to the team. This is the type of information that they need to know so they can fix it.

I accessed the link I think before you changed it and it worked perfectly fine for me at the time (on Firefox). All elements of the site (images, etc) load fine. I checked on Chrome and IE as well and while the pages load, no graphic effects (backgrounds or embedded images) are displayed. Instead I get a blank box for those with either a red X in the upper-left corner (on IE) or a tiny page icon in the middle of the box (on Chrome).

Hmm... even as I was typing this, despite the fact that I LITERALLY just had the dev diary open (maybe 1 minute ago) on Firefox and it was working fine, I just went to reopen the page just now I get the following error:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /en/game/articles/update-9-riders-rohan-instance-cluster-part-i on this server.
Apache Server at www.lotro.com Port 80

I get the same error on Chrome when I refresh the page. It still "loads" on IE (aka: I get the same result as before, with the page loading but the images still missing).

[Celestrata]

I guess the web team at Turbine is exclusively proofing pages in Firefox. Seems an odd choice with FF having fallen to a distant 3rd in the browser wars. Largely due to an ongoing memory leak issue paired with crashing issues, Symmetry detected.

I use Chrome too, Fortinobrand. For some reason, I'm not encountering these errors from within the office. I'll try again when I get back home tonight.

Otherwise, thank you everyone for the information. We'll pass it along to the team tomorrow morning. Keep it coming if you can!

[ExtinguisherNex]

Whatever the problem was with the web site appears to have just been fixed. I've been getting 403 errors consistently all day (work, home, multiple browsers, etc.) and it just started working about 20 minutes ago.

Aaron