A Letter from Executive Producer Aaron Campbell

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

I don't know how few we are (probably very few but you never know), but I'm with you--I prefer the realism of having to visit a mailbox to the idea that somehow mail magically appears in our pockets.

As with the lies about "Skill Bloat", you have the option to just NOT USE THE MAILBOX. If you want that immersion you can have the immersion. Just as you could have less "Skill Bloat" by not putting all your skills on your quickslot bars before the horrible class skill/trait tree changes.

[Nyrion]

As with the lies about "Skill Bloat", you have the option to just NOT USE THE MAILBOX. If you want that immersion you can have the immersion. Just as you could have less "Skill Bloat" by not putting all your skills on your quickslot bars before the horrible class skill/trait tree changes.

That's hardly the same thing. Using half your skills before HD wouldn't have had nearly the same flow or fluidity in skill usage that we have now.

[Martigan]

welcome back Aron.

Just for the book

Sorry but my large kin has pretty much stopped playing because of no instance cluster or any information about when if ever one may come.

Also months back Sapience posted that balancing was being looked at, but no further news.

we are a rank 10 kin with around 40 members, 4-7 years vets.

If you want us back you know what to do.

thanks

[Reximus]

Untrue on both counts. You'll be pleased to know that the sessionplay in Book 14 is optional, and you can skip it if you like.

MoL

Sessionplay overall is fine with me, and I and at least one of my friends who play are really excited about Ent Play.

[Armdyl]

I would say that where a catapult is there is also something to get destroyed, right?

So just a speculation, but imo it would be logical that there will be also changes like real (I mean real, REAL) Gates (really ) and maybe other points which can be attacked, maybe also a tower and artillery on the top of the keep. But however, it's speculation, but introducing a catapult normally means more than introducing a catapult.

So it could be that keeps change entirely (while not the whole map) and also the outposts may change and in this regard also changes to the keep-outpost buff system (in better balanced way at least), so that they adapt to (seemingly) most players opinion concerning their contribution to disbalance situations oppositional to their intention while still keeping this kind of system and further use it - so kind of refinement/polish --> improvement (maybe that the outposts give more damage like now, when you own them, but a infamy/renowm buff when they are controlled by your enemy or other small effects which don't contradict to the owning side but still give a little use as rebalance)

Orodbril

that would be interesting. I would really love to see the keeps/outposts buffs be better balanced.

[Saniko]

Ooh, Ent Session Play? Can't wait to do some orc-stomping

I don't know how few we are (probably very few but you never know), but I'm with you--I prefer the realism of having to visit a mailbox to the idea that somehow mail magically appears in our pockets.

I still just can't get over the lack of mention of any balancing coming with U13. It's so depressing. Last night we 3-manned a 12-man on-level skirmish. It was so easy that it was not enjoyable in any way. Yawn.

I remember seeing a bird perched over the mailbox in Aughaire - an air mail courier? - so I can imagine a VIP player having the LOTRO version of Hedwig.

[Thornglen]

Ooh, Ent Session Play? Can't wait to do some orc-stomping


I remember seeing a bird perched over the mailbox in Aughaire - an air mail courier? - so I can imagine a VIP player having the LOTRO version of Hedwig.

Nah. The hobbits of the Quick Post have been practicing for 7 years now. They have gotten VERY quick indeed.

[Martigan]

I can answer this as definitely as I did during beta. The Trait trees system is not being removed or rolled back. Period.
(Someone did call out that we should be more direct, clear, and leave no room for misunderstanding, right?)

Someone touch a nerve?

[Vilan]

Trait trees are changed around to make certain lines more useful than they were before, but virtually all content is made so easy that there's no point in choosing any line other than DPS and blowing everything up. My loremaster has some neat yellow line abilities that I would like to try out... too bad there's no content that requires it, or even kinda encourages me to use it. Why run around debuffing mobs when 4 people can blitzkrieg any given "raid" out there?

I do appreciate the reduction of skill bloat, unlike some others in this thread. I overall like the changes to loremasters, giving us more frost and lightning skills rather than only fire skills. I do prefer the old way of using particular skills to unlock improved versions of those skills, but that ship has sailed it seems. Regardless, overall there is good work being done by Turbine. Unfortunately a lot of it is being made pointless by the lack of difficulty and general overpoweredness of every character at every level. I don't expect every marshfly to come within an inch of killing me, but it should be absolutely impossible to solo a raid on-level, much less do it wielding a frying pan. Yet it happens. This is a serious problem driving away many players. Have landscape content be a cakewalk, fine. But there needs to be a challenging option somewhere. Why should players put in the time to grind first age gear (running raids, which incidentally provides money from buying store pots and stat tomes and such) with such easy content?

[DreadfulBride]

/camp, it is awfully far from Bree to Esteldin, (rp, however minor adds to the player/char world interaction experience). Could we possibly slide in an emote that puts out a bed roll/tent and a fire for rp sake into U13, pretty please with cherries on top?

[gk11]

Welcome back Aaron “Rowan” Campbell and congratulation for becoming Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online.

Thanks for giving Hobnangians another try. It was great even so it didn't work as it should way back when Middleearth still had Tolkien compatible names running around

Looking forward to Flooded Isengard as well as Fangorn. "Including a special friend you might earn" - an Ent as a travelling companion for Lore-masters?

Also Kate mentioned a surprise, a.k.a a new addition:

Quote: "We are working on one more secret surprise, but I won’t do more than tease its existence now, other than to say that the class changes have made it possible for us to consider making a new addition to the game… which we will talk about later in the year." Unquote.

Are you still working on that one and perhaps you can tease us over the next time with new hints regarding that one.

[Sapience]

Are you still working on that one and perhaps you can tease us over the next time with new hints regarding that one.

LOL. He did. TWICE!

[Holy_Icon]

Probably worth mentioning I not a developer (I don't work on classes or building things and you honestly don't want me to). I just play a hunter more than any other class. Also worth reminding everyone that the forums aren't for bug reports, you should submit a bug through the /bug tool in game.

Probably worth mentioning that I know you're not a developer, but your voice carries more weight than us, un-ascended players.

Try playing a Huntsman with oils on and shoot Barbed Arrow on the move why don't you.
It will, however, mean you'll have to step out of your Bowmaster comfort zone for once. Pew*Pew #shotsfired lol

And the fact that forums DON'T have a bug discussions thread speaks volumes (or doesn't depending on the metaphor O.O).

As I mentioned I've submitted a /bug report before posting here. As I have done in the past for other issues that do not get attention (again something a Bug Thread would help with). And trust me, as someone who has written a number of applications/libraries in my day, I know the difference between a bug and an intentional change within a system.

Moreover, the /bug tool itself is buggy (I don't know why I just said that, as I'm sure you're aware).
But I think I've digressed from the Thread Topic far enough for one day.



Sincerely,
A Rooted Huntsman


P.S.
The personal deflections you used are not necessary.
My comments are to be aimed through you to those they should find but whom I cannot directly target.
Players feel powerless and voiceless.
Forums to handle such things are usually welcomed in other game communities.
Also, I am not upset, mad, raging or any of the like.
Simply speaking words that have the meaning I intend them to have.

[Galuhad]

LOL. He did. TWICE!

Hmm. Only thing that stands out for me is this:

Bear with me

Perhaps this has a duel meaning. Unless of course he meant to imply a bear was with him

[EmyrSelyf]

Unless of course he meant to imply a bear was with him

Entirely possible. It may have been a voice actor.

[Mar-Evayave]

Let's root for entplay!

I see what you did there. ^_^ (it was intentional, yes?)

I look forward to the Gollum session play at Mount Doom multiple expansions from now.

lol! Totally signed!

You do see people doing group content in Swtor before level cap because Swtor allows you to collect certain kinds of barter coins that are useful at level cap when doing content below the level cap. You also see the behavior of over leveling content. Going back when the group content is grey. So that you can get your barter coins. This situation is fairly common with planet commendations. They get them from all regular content. You can buy useful stuff with planet commendations as you level. Excess commendations - you can buy stuff - sell it to other players for in game gold.

Very true. I personally favored Tatooine. Give me an hour or so on my lvl 55 Sentinel and I'll complete all available Heroic 2s and 4s. Not only will I end up with a modest amount of coms, but I'll also make a killing in credits.

I remember seeing a bird perched over the mailbox in Aughaire - an air mail courier? - so I can imagine a VIP player having the LOTRO version of Hedwig.

Too lazy (long day, sore back, etc) to check what the names are, but that first quest hub in Dunland in the upper-left-hand corner (not Bonevales, but the other route) has a quest at some point when you send out ravens/crows/whatever with messages, IIRC. Those birds often looked much like the birds I've seen at some mailboxes. In my mind I always assumed those represented the delivery system.

[Requiemslove]

What exactly are the changes in the pipeline? Is overall inventory space going to be updated at all? 6 bags of 15 seems far too little, I would also like to see kin houses updated, so they have more functionality, I am thinking they should be able to implement crafting areas and provisioners, healer NPCs, [could be raid rewards] as well as forge/relic masters, in kin house auctioneer...there are many things that could be done that would make being part of a kin seem more worthwhile. And perhaps could bring the "fellowship" back to lotro. It would also be nice if the fast travel cool down for going to your kin house could be done away with...there are many possibilities and those are just some ideas. I get that lotro is different from other mmos in the fact we have to adhere to some lore specific context, not asking as example for anything that would detract from that [like in another game I have played you can port from your groups home, to anywhere in that games universe...maybe a big ask for lotro to do something like that...] I'm just asking if there are any plans to bring the community back into being part of a kinship? Would love it if a kin house could have a stables...so you can go direct to the nearest hub, from your kins home.

[Shane412]

I have a challenge for the executive and devs of Lord Of The Rings Online. I odnt post much on the fourms but this needs to be addressed. My name is Shane and I been playing this game since I was 14 . I am 19 now. 15x12x5=900$ dollars I spent only to play this game. Can you imagine that. Not only did I meet new friends. Friends that I still have five years later. I have lost some of these friends due to the lack of game development. I learned a lot of life skills from this game. I play a rank 12 burg originated from the server landroval and now on brandywhine because of lack of people that are playing on landroval.

My main concern is the game is going down hill and many many of us will agree with this.

What I am looking for is a logical answer on why not look to improve the game but make it worse? What are the motives and what is planned to benefit not only rpers but raiders and pvpers. Not to mention that pvpers seem to still be paying the $15 dollars a month to play so that has to be where most of the income is coming from and also the excessive amount of trouble. So why is it mention to buy ettenmoors in the store? YOU WOULD LOSE MONEY THAT WAY. It seems to me that the game will be in maintenance mode soon.

My theory on the subject is why not consolidate the servers to only three or even one and just upgrade your servers so it can handle the amount of players. Even make the little effort to make the map bigger for more people. Something to bring back the memories I had in this game.

What are the motives. I don't mind paying the $15 dollars a month but it seems the money is going for lost causes.

Everybody loves the lotro theme. And I tell you this much the game will always have its players if you continue to put effort into the game..

I just want to know and if I could help in anyway. I can even give you a solid 1000 people that agree with me. That I know alone and many others ..

[Sezneg]

Probably worth mentioning that I know you're not a developer, but your voice carries more weight than us, un-ascended players.

Try playing a Huntsman with oils on and shoot Barbed Arrow on the move why don't you.
It will, however, mean you'll have to step out of your Bowmaster comfort zone for once. Pew*Pew #shotsfired lol

And the fact that forums DON'T have a bug discussions thread speaks volumes (or doesn't depending on the metaphor O.O).

As I mentioned I've submitted a /bug report before posting here. As I have done in the past for other issues that do not get attention (again something a Bug Thread would help with). And trust me, as someone who has written a number of applications/libraries in my day, I know the difference between a bug and an intentional change within a system.

Moreover, the /bug tool itself is buggy (I don't know why I just said that, as I'm sure you're aware).
But I think I've digressed from the Thread Topic far enough for one day.



Sincerely,
A Rooted Huntsman


P.S.
The personal deflections you used are not necessary.
My comments are to be aimed through you to those they should find but whom I cannot directly target.
Players feel powerless and voiceless.
Forums to handle such things are usually welcomed in other game communities.
Also, I am not upset, mad, raging or any of the like.
Simply speaking words that have the meaning I intend them to have.

Even if bugs you submit get attention, you really have no way of seeing/knowing it until it is directly mentioned by a team member or in a patch-note.

Bugs have to be prioritized based on severity, but also difficulty of the fix.

And they have to be reproduced to be understood so a fix can even be made. This is why certain bugs such as the "warleader bug" (and the other variants of this like the RK bug) are so difficult to fix; it's very difficult given their capabilities to reproduce bugs that require some very bad server side behavior/load to happen.

The long and short of it is, just because YOU don't see results on a bug =/= they didn't get your report and it's not being worked on.

[Holy_Icon]

Even if bugs you submit get attention, you really have no way of seeing/knowing it until it is directly mentioned by a team member or in a patch-note.

Bugs have to be prioritized based on severity, but also difficulty of the fix.

And they have to be reproduced to be understood so a fix can even be made. This is why certain bugs such as the "warleader bug" (and the other variants of this like the RK bug) are so difficult to fix; it's very difficult given their capabilities to reproduce bugs that require some very bad server side behavior/load to happen.

The long and short of it is, just because YOU don't see results on a bug =/= they didn't get your report and it's not being worked on.

Check my join date. Apr 2007.
No I'm not bragging. My point is, I've seen first hand how long the turnaround is for bugs; regardless of severity.
So my comments come with that history of experiencing how Turbine works with the players.
And I still feel the need to say what I have to say, the way I said it.

In nearly 7 years I've only brought myself onto these forums a few times.
Which may speak to my finally losing that blind faith of not having a feedback system.
Or as much the lack of purpose in that effort.
Since either the thread to support that part of the community is lacking, or the discourse is quashed by someone making obvious statements that fundamentally miss the point.

[rougeredmage]

i would have prefered trollshaws to be revamped over north downs myself

[rosey21]

i would have prefered trollshaws to be revamped over north downs myself

Trollshaws is getting revamped & Misty Mountains as well.

[Maulnakh]

Check my join date. Apr 2007.
No I'm not bragging. My point is, I've seen first hand how long the turnaround is for bugs; regardless of severity.
So my comments come with that history of experiencing how Turbine works with the players.
And I still feel the need to say what I have to say, the way I said it.

In nearly 7 years I've only brought myself onto these forums a few times.
Which may speak to my finally losing that blind faith of not having a feedback system.
Or as much the lack of purpose in that effort.
Since either the thread to support that part of the community is lacking, or the discourse is quashed by someone making obvious statements that fundamentally miss the point.

Just ignore Stickeez and the other forum members (Yula etc) who seem to think they are somehow affiliated with Turbine due to their baseless and unfounded extensive understanding of the game.

[germcell]

Check my join date. Apr 2007.
No I'm not bragging. My point is, I've seen first hand how long the turnaround is for bugs; regardless of severity.
So my comments come with that history of experiencing how Turbine works with the players.
And I still feel the need to say what I have to say, the way I said it.

In nearly 7 years I've only brought myself onto these forums a few times.
Which may speak to my finally losing that blind faith of not having a feedback system.
Or as much the lack of purpose in that effort.
Since either the thread to support that part of the community is lacking, or the discourse is quashed by someone making obvious statements that fundamentally miss the point.

there is a feed back system in game.

[chortlehoort]

And the free fall dumbing down of LOTRO continues