Update 17 Beta 1 Release Notes & Known Issues - PRELIMINARY AND NON-FINAL - BULLROARER ONLY

[Vovo]

A problem item

Somehow my Beorning ended up with a bound loremaster staff in the inventory. It can't be deleted from the bag; it can't be sold; it can't be deconstructed; it does not appear in the deconstruct item list; it can't be dragged and destroyed out of the bag. While of no use, it can be moved to the vault.

Store

The redeem code does not work. I can only conclude that coding for this command is not yet finished, so my feedback might be premature; or it was never intended to interact with the live store giveaway while still in beta.

[Richardrobins1986]

will the crafted gear be getting a new appearance? or will we be reusing the 90 crafted look? *hopefully not*

[Strmi]

The performance in this instance is horrible.



I rest my case.

PS. in before someone try to teach me about graphics and smooth gameplay. 2015 vs 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vUtSE4gKUk

Even since Rohan,game does not have good optimization and because of that fps sucks.Just look at da for example,my cpu uses only 2 cores about 40%,gpu below 20% and because of that is hard to get 30fps+ and let's not speak about WIldermore

[ArsSupervivendi]

Just some thoughts that came up. It's first beta, so I know, there will be a lot of changes.


Minas Tirith/ Landscape Build:
My first impression of Minas Tirith definetly met my expectations. Beautifully done. The fields of Pelennor give the right impression of the upcoming siege and the war. Considering the time of the storyline, it's really getting exciting, now.



Crafting:
Great, to see a new crafting tier and nice to craft essence pieces myself.


Some points here:

Please reconsider the amount of 252 might/ will for the light and 252 agility for the Warden shield. The heavy shield only gives 218 vitality.
The shields from Osgiliath instances right now give 252 as biggest stat. Kind of disapointing to run an instance x-times to get a shield (RNG included), when a crafted one gives out the same amount.

So please, either raise the amount of vitality on the crafted heavy shield to match the others, or raise the amount of the main stat on the Osgiliath drops. And please add a vitality version of the Warden's shield.


It's great to finally see a shield with might as main-stat.


Really like the new cooking recipes.




Classes/ Changes to LI's:
Nice changes for the Beorning

I have to agree with others here, regarding the additions to Guardian Legacies: IMO a tanking build is not about damage. So why add damage to purely defensive Legacies?



Grinding out LI's:
So far, I have gone, where the grind took me. After imbuement was implemented, I was ok with the amount of work you had to put into an LI. And of course, people needed something to do and something to work on. With the raise of tiers with U17 it feels the same way as before, though. Rinse and repeat. So far, in almost 7 years, with several alts on level cap, I have not minded the grind. You finally got me there. With no raid and only three instances to work with, there is (again) no real reason to put in the work.

I am not calling for a raid here, since I do have an impression of the amount of work and stress going on right now (U17, new store, new hardware, server transfers and all the small things that have to be done).

Just, please, reconsider either the cost for Empowerment-Scrolls, or lower the amount of tiers added to LI's.

[CaerArianrhod]

First: the new shop looks much more tidy than the current one. Is faster and much cleaner.

One thing that do not work well:
After a transaction, i have to go back to the start page of the shop and click through again to the category and to the page where i was before. I.e. if i buy a base stat like vitality XIII, i need to click down through the path to the stats' page again to be able to buy vitality XIV.
If would be better to offer two links in the confirmation page: one to the start page and one to the category page where the user was coming from.

And what about privacy and legal issues?
Why are the purchase confirmation emails coming from Xsolla <mailer@xsolla.com>? Make sure you got a Turbine email for sending that confirmation.
Albeit now we know, that you are using some cloud service from xolla, i have concerns about how you make sure, that xolla is not usig the collected data [e.g. credit card information] (through payment- and game analytics) for other purposes as for fulfill my requests for your services?
How can i be sure that in case of a problem with a shop transaction Turbine is the responsible organisation and not xolla?

[Radbug]

Imbued Legendary Items:

DPS / Main Item Legacies have been granted 4 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 4.
Imbued stat Legacies have been granted 6 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 3.
All other imbued legacies have been granted 3 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 6.

This is just way too much too soon. I understand this system needs to be monetized because of the way it's been marketed in the past, but this is insane. Folks, you need to be careful with this. If this continues in this manner I know for one I just won't be bothered with it any more. I'm not doing DA dailies and Mark/Med farms for ever.

I would suggest halving these numbers at least.

[kickman77]

First: the new shop looks much more tidy than the current one. Is faster and much cleaner.

One thing that do not work well:
After a transaction, i have to go back to the start page of the shop and click through again to the category and to the page where i was before. I.e. if i buy a base stat like vitality XIII, i need to click down through the path to the stats' page again to be able to buy vitality XIV.
If would be better to offer two links in the confirmation page: one to the start page and one to the category page where the user was coming from.

And what about privacy and legal issues?
Why are the purchase confirmation emails coming from Xsolla <mailer@xsolla.com>? Make sure you got a Turbine email for sending that confirmation.
Albeit now we know, that you are using some cloud service from xolla, i have concerns about how you make sure, that xolla is not usig the collected data [e.g. credit card information] (through payment- and game analytics) for other purposes as for fulfill my requests for your services?
How can i be sure that in case of a problem with a shop transaction Turbine is the responsible organisation and not xolla?

I have both of these concers as well and waas going to start a thread this mrning about it, until I saw your post.

The constant having to click over and over is insane, and not having a vart or option to purchase multiples (like bag saces or inventory or character slots) means you have to click over and over and over to get 3 things.

Than the back to game is so tiny and not coclored well enough, and if you dont click it, the game / store does some wonky stuff, like purchase the item again without confirmation

We hae tje option to turn off the confirmation screen, but noo option to turn it back on>

Because a lot of items dont give us the option to purchase multiple items and since no cart we get SPAMMED with emails. I made 12 purchases yesterday in the new store. In the old, I could use multiples and the cart and get 1 e-mail. Now I get flooded with 12 from an as mentioned above untrusted source. I did not agree to use xalta or whatever it is, and it seems shady . scary to me that my info like CC and paypal are up in the cloud. I personally avoid the cloud because its been proven to not be safe for data time and time again

[avengingbananaslug]

The best part of this update is how freeps are getting stronger and creeps are getting nothing. That's pretty awesome!

[Rrys]

Dont mean at all to be ungrateful for the crafting item stack size changes, but would it be possible to get a similar raise for the following items?

• Task Items (250-500)
• Crafting Recipe Scrolls (250-500)
• Consumables (100-250; crafted stuff can be 100 for example, if needed (pots are a big issue though with capping stacks easily), but at least Premium Perks should be 250)

Would be a great help, mainly for management. I hate needing more than one slot of space for any one item type, and 250-500 is great for being able to really not worry about that. 50 is just too small for most occasions. Anyways, thanks soooo much for adding it even for crafting items, cut down my required storage space for them in total by about 2/3, and over 300 slots of space.

Would love to see higher stack sizes for all the above items!

[Ondopher555]

I don't think lowering the amount of unlockable legacy tiers (atm) is a step in the right direction, these said tiers will just keep piling on and on over the updates anyway, as most people (if not all) are just sick of this scroll grind (if costs remain the same, the time required for this grind will remain the same, the only thing that'll change is that we'll do a portion of it now and portions of it later on, and it'll be the same old grind, only worse). The better move would be to cut mark/med cost by more than half of what it is now. It should not be costing more than 200 meds per scroll. It's still going to be a ridiculous grind anyway, but at least it'll be a bit more comforting than what it is now. Also, as suggested by someone else earlier, trading gold DA tokens for silvers is also much needed.

The best part of this update is how freeps are getting stronger and creeps are getting nothing. That's pretty awesome!

That's been happening for as far as I know, but before there was at least something for the creeps, like a small fix or some kind of random treat, but at least something was there. Now, not even that.

No point in rushing updates out to please just a few, while alienating many others.

[Rwraith]

Which of course undermines the game as a game to be played. By buying your way around grinds, you incentivize the creation of an ever-more-grindy game. A game not intended to be played, but instead a game intended to annoy you into buying your way around vast swaths of it. Which harms not only the game's integrity, but also tends to make goals all the more difficult to achieve for those laboring under the quaint assumption that games are intended to be fun and to be played.


As do I. As do most people. It's not a question of money. It's a question of perverse incentives and conflicts of interest inherent to the business model. To which you seem oblivious or, at best, indifferent.

You're why we can't have nice things.

The best thing about this game is you have choices. If you don't wish to buy things in the store you are not forced to and can get them on the landscape. If you wish to buy them you can. As far as I can tell this game is not a competition. There is no prize for getting first. So if someone is fully decked out, great for them. If it came to the point where you could only get things from the store (beyond some cosmetic items) then I would have an issue with it. But, it's good for the store to exist in it's present form because it is what allows Turbine to pay for maintaining and updating the game. Instead of condemnation, those who chose to buy from the store should be praised for helping the game to continue. Without store purchases, this game closes in a heartbeat.

[Ludiklovn]

So, bottom line, no new dungeons or raids?

[Amrundir]

[*]Hope Tokens now have a 3-minute cooldown, instead of 15 minutes.

But they still stack only to 20.

Any possibility to increase the stack size for hope tokens?

[Hurin]

The best thing about this game is you have choices. If you don't wish to buy things in the store you are not forced to and can get them on the landscape. If you wish to buy them you can. As far as I can tell this game is not a competition. There is no prize for getting first. So if someone is fully decked out, great for them. If it came to the point where you could only get things from the store (beyond some cosmetic items) then I would have an issue with it. But, it's good for the store to exist in it's present form because it is what allows Turbine to pay for maintaining and updating the game. Instead of condemnation, those who chose to buy from the store should be praised for helping the game to continue. Without store purchases, this game closes in a heartbeat.

Wow. . . you managed to pull out just about every myopic, repudiated trope ever used to speciously defend the business model and willfully ignore all the damage done to the integrity of the games that embrace it (which is now nearly all of them).

The best thing about this game is you have choices. If you don't wish to buy things in the store you are not forced to and can get them on the landscape.

This willfully ignores the fact that what I earn on the landscape is often much harder to obtain because the design has been altered to increase the scarcity of what is available on the landscape. When Turbine sells you x, it necessarily has incentive to adjust the landscape availability of x so that it is more scarce. Or, increase the demand for x (eg., 84 Scrolls of Empowerment). So, even those who choose not to purchase things in the store and instead would prefer to earn them face hardships (that are intentionally annoying and onerous) they otherwise would not face because others are throwing their cash at Turbine to obtain what they did not earn.

As far as I can tell this game is not a competition. There is no prize for getting first.

Irrelevant to the concerns people have with the business model. See above.

Instead of condemnation, those who chose to buy from the store should be praised for helping the game to continue. Without store purchases, this game closes in a heartbeat.

You know what else would help the game to "continue" even without the Store? If more people were willing to play the game and pay a decent subscription fee for a game with integrity. As I've always said, the reason we can't have a decent game under the subscription model and why the Store model is more lucrative (thus Turbine isn't doing anything wrong by embracing it) is because of the players. They would rather have the game modified so that what would have clearly been considered cheating prior (getting things in the game you did not earn) is allowed in exchange for cash than play a game with integrity. And then they tell themselves it's all about choice and no harm is being done to the game (even as the game itself, its target audience, and the structure of its systems are all transformed into something unrecognizable), and indeed, ask for praise because they're "keeping the lights on" for a game that's now designed to annoy and frustrate you into handing them money.

Thanks, but I'd rather pay $15/20 per month and purchase expansions as they come out. And if more people felt that way, we'd still be getting quality MMOs. But because too many people think so shallowly about the business model, and therefore believe the tropes you posted above, we get games that are literally designed to be frustrating and annoying as a means of generating revenue. And you think you deserve "praise" for your enthusiasm in both sinking money into that model and spreading the spurious rationalizations used to justify it.

Again, it's not Turbine. They're doing nothing wrong. It's the players/customers who can't suss out the plain repercussions of what they're "choosing" to do, the inherent conflicts of interest and perverse incentives in the business model, and the damage done to the integrity of the game that are the reasons the industry is headed in the direction it is. And why we can't have a new MMO with integrity.

--H

Edit. . . a good explanation of why F2P games are literally designed to be "barely fun." Which doesn't even consider the penumbra effects on those who labor under the quaint notion that we should earn what we obtain in the game through playing it.

[KM3161]

And what about privacy and legal issues?[/SIZE]
Why are the purchase confirmation emails coming from Xsolla <mailer@xsolla.com>? Make sure you got a Turbine email for sending that confirmation.
Albeit now we know, that you are using some cloud service from xolla, i have concerns about how you make sure, that xolla is not usig the collected data [e.g. credit card information] (through payment- and game analytics) for other purposes as for fulfill my requests for your services?
How can i be sure that in case of a problem with a shop transaction Turbine is the responsible organisation and not xolla?

made about a dozen purchases and my inbox had over 40 emails from xsolla. Quite a few were duplicates. Seems like each purchase got 3-4 emails. And i just can't wait to see the affiliates emails start showing up. At least this is the beta store format and I didn't use my CC# for purchases. Somehow I just don't see the CC# being safe in xsolla's cloud. So for now-NO store purchases on live until my privacy and CC# security can be assured.

[Devolved]

Dont mean at all to be ungrateful for the crafting item stack size changes, but would it be possible to get a similar raise for the following items?

• Task Items (250-500)
• Crafting Recipe Scrolls (250-500)
• Consumables (100-250; crafted stuff can be 100 for example, if needed (pots are a big issue though with capping stacks easily), but at least Premium Perks should be 250)

Would be a great help, mainly for management. I hate needing more than one slot of space for any one item type, and 250-500 is great for being able to really not worry about that. 50 is just too small for most occasions. Anyways, thanks soooo much for adding it even for crafting items, cut down my required storage space for them in total by about 2/3, and over 300 slots of space.

/Seconded on all counts. My dedicated Cook is certainly gonna enjoy the extra backpack elbow room with the new craft item stack limits.

Will cookable fish count as crafting items? He has a LOT of fish stored in his vault.

[Hurin]

/Seconded on all counts. My dedicated Cook is certainly gonna enjoy the extra backpack elbow room with the new craft item stack limits.

Will cookable fish count as crafting items? He has a LOT of fish stored in his vault.

Considering the increase in stack sizes will likely cost them storage sales in the Store, I'm shocked we even got that. Kudos to Turbine!

(I hope you get your wish too!)

[Tasara]

I've tried four times to take copied level 100's into West Gondor and four times I've failed. Read the account here:

https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...de-Unavailable

Is it me? Or is it just this beta test? I have NEVER run into anything like it since starting to play back in beta, nor have I seen anything like it since, even in the forums (except maybe long ago, when it first launched).

[KM3161]

I've tried four times to take copied level 100's into West Gondor and four times I've failed. Read the account here:

https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...de-Unavailable

Is it me? Or is it just this beta test? I have NEVER run into anything like it since starting to play back in beta, nor have I seen anything like it since, even in the forums (except maybe long ago, when it first launched).

I have had no problems getting into West Gondor with my copied character and have seen several others there also. Maybe the BR patch didn't install correctly for you. Did you try un/re-installing BR and see if the same problem exists? If beta was always working for you and this is a new problem then maybe a file or two got corrupted during the latest patch to the client.

[pittcrew1]

Considering the increase in stack sizes will likely cost them storage sales in the Store, I'm shocked we even got that. Kudos to Turbine!

(I hope you get your wish too!)

I expect it will to, but I'm of the mindset that if they take the time and effort and chance to be nice and generous to us, I will reward them on top of what I would have to pay them just to get by (buying char slots/space), because they are, in good faith, being generous, and I want to reward that because I think it's a good model for games to take - which is taking care of their player's complaints without any expectation of immediate gain, other than happiness of customers.

[Phindecano]

DPS / Main Item Legacies have been granted 4 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 4.
Imbued stat Legacies have been granted 6 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 3.
All other imbued legacies have been granted 3 more available tiers and can unlock an additional 6.

Wow, it's so cool. Can't wait to do glingfest ~100 more times, it's so exciting! A really new challenged PvE experience. Turbine, could you please double the unlockable tiers? Wanna do more glinghant runs! Please!

[Ruflus]

A few thoughts on U17.


Its the best Minas Tirith I have seen in game or film - my favourite interior space is the Dome of the Sun.


A few changes I would like to see include:


Adding reputation-gated stablemasters to Minas Tirith (eg Acquaintance to swift-travel to level 3, Friend to swift-travel to level 7 from the 1st level)


Adding guards suggesting the way to the back of the citadel is blocked on the 6th level


Removing damage from swimming in the Anduin in Osgiliath


Remove the barrier blocking the Gates of the Sun in Osgiliath and put some 1-shotters there instead


Remove invisible walls along the river banks in South Ithilien

[Arwen1793]

Have to say it, not happy with what I saw on Beta.
the critted food, Superior Feast of Anorien, should be nerfed. I think it's odd that you made a captain buff in food form, that stacks.
The morale on some of the new crafted items should be nerfed as well. I've seen people running around with 40k morale, 80k mastery and capped crit and mits. Don't think that is really fair to the creeps either unless you plan on buffing them as well.
The crafted jewelry should be guilded, with the stats a bit lower. 800 morale and 120 odd main stat will end up replacing most peoples jewels they got from Osgiliath, which will make a lot of people not wanting to run them anymore, unless they want crests or a cloak.
Disappointed about no new instances (I don't count BBs as instances when I can afk plat them). Also, a suggestion would be to add empowerments to the stars of merit trader. Most people hate big battles, and as much as i dislike them, getting empowerments from stars of merit would make me run them more often.
Also, would like to see more items drop from the Osgiliath instances. Considering you now need 10 crystals per LI, Anfalas Star Lits should have a drop chance from Dome, RC, and SL.
I've also seen my champion friend now has a 96% Critical Multiplier legacy...OP much?
Invisible walls should be added, I ended up getting lost in Minas Tirith, got stuck and somehow fell all the way to the bottom, under the city and died. Only difference between me and Denethor is, I was not on fire


My champion friend who has everything capped, plus aud. IMO you should have to lose a little of one to gain more of another, not have every single thing capped. There has to be some form of balance. Someone on my server even said they don't creep because it's underpowered, and like to play freep because it's easy. Adding all this new stuff, and having max cap on the essential stats just make it even easier and requires most people to have no skill. And honestly if it doesn't change, then to give myself a challenge i'll resort to creeping only, because most people won't after this lol.

[camenecium]

Can we please have Spear - Staff cosmetic interchangability?

I've had similar ideas about staff and spear being the same technique from some m-a I did half a lifetime ago. I'd go a step further and would LOVE to see 2H spears (esp. for my Beorning) and a 2H staff that is actually a weapon more broadly useful than just for lore-masters. Lore-masters using spears seems a little odd to me, but less odd than fighting bosses with fish and flowers as weapons.

[Zanishi]

Just recently I was reading the transcript for the u16 developer stream... In it was a request for Imbued legacy replacement scrolls to have an availability outside the 1 time bound to character quest line and the store...

still waiting on that...

we were also told that crystals (star-lit and remembrance) would be more available in game...

still waiting on that too...

sounds like to me that store availability takes priority over the old slogan "Convenience not Necessity"


On top of that, this update coming is requiring another significant LI grind that compares to the u16 grind... with no new content to get the items required for that grind...

New Big Battles? great.... does that mean I can get crystals for doing it? oh no huh? guess ill have to settle for doing the same old content on all my alts every day that I have been doing for well over a year already...


/sarcasmon YAY! /sarcasmoff