Middle Earth Explorer Challenge!

[Lendas]

Nm lol

[maxjenius]

PLEASE DO NOT RELEASE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW YOU GOT THERE!!! (that's what the cappy is for, to summon people to the place so the dev's dont fix the hole

In before lock.

[Draculetta]

And lose your charcter in the proccess. No thanks... have fun though... see you with your new charcter soon...

[Lendas]

And lose your charcter in the proccess. No thanks... have fun though... see you with your new charcter soon...

how do you lose your character?

[Dwarendele]

Not sure why you would want to go to places off the map and risk getting stuck there forever or risk getting a ban for exploiting , but whatever...

At least put a disclaimer warning of the risks involved when you try to recruit people to break the rules and deceive the game developers.

Something like this:

Going off the map may well result in your character getting stuck in a no man's land where they may not be recoverable and you will lose permanent access to that character. It is also considered an exploit to use holes in the landscape barriers to access areas that the game developer did not intend for your character to play in. It is also an action that can get you a short term or permanent ban from the game to exploit and deceive the game developers.

but well done on presentation and imagination of titles and challenges - work that magic on something that is in game and I might join in.

Edit: "how do you lose your character" in the past people have gotten themselves stuck in the places where the game data is un-recoverable because when you are out of bounds - as far as the game is concerned - your character does not exsist - there is no character to associate your game data with - resulting in the only recourse is to delete your character or get support from Turbine who will tell you that the character is out of bounds and no longer exsists - if it keeps happening they get nasty and slap a ban on you for exploting - and then if it keeps happening after that they ban you for being to stupid to play LOTRO.

What I recommend is if you find these areas - bug them (after screenshots) - and if they get fixed - you get the title.
G'd Luc

[Lendas]

Not sure why you would want to go to places off the map and risk getting stuck there forever or risk getting a ban for exploiting , but whatever...

At least put a disclaimer warning of the risks involved when you try to recruit people to break the rules and deceive the game developers.

Something like this:

Going off the map may well result in your character getting stuck in a no man's land where they may not be recoverable and you will lose permanent access to that character. It is also considered an exploit to use holes in the landscape barriers to access areas that the game developer did not intend for your character to play in. It is also an action that can get you a short term or permanent ban from the game to exploit and deceive the game developers.

but well done on presentation and imagination of titles and challenges - work that magic on something that is in game and I might join in.

Edit: "how do you lose your character" in the past people have gotten themselves stuck in the places where the game data is un-recoverable because when you are out of bounds - as far as the game is concerned - your character does not exsist - there is no character to associate your game data with - resulting in the only recourse is to delete your character or get support from Turbine who will tell you that the character is out of bounds and no longer exsists - if it keeps happening they get nasty and slap a ban on you for exploting - and then if it keeps happening after that they ban you for being to stupid to play LOTRO.

What I recommend is if you find these areas - bug them (after screenshots) - and if they get fixed - you get the title.
G'd Luc

I was not aware of the risks! yikes! I've seen videos of people going off the map and they just hit an invisible wall with an eternal plane of green behind it. I thought that if the Interactive map showed it than it was there.... sorry! deleted my post.

[Dwarendele]

I was not aware of the risks! yikes! I've seen videos of people going off the map and they just hit an invisible wall with an eternal plane of green behind it. I thought that if the Interactive map showed it than it was there.... sorry! deleted my post.

I liked the imagination and presentation of the challenge - maybe re-work it to find these places to report/bug them so others don't accidently get themselves stuck? - either by coincidence or by blindly following a vid they seen that never tells you about the risks. Maybe - a big fat MAYBE (almost assuredly not probable) you might even get Turbine to help out with the titles. Doubtful though. But hey Turbine, if you are reading - want those holes fixed? Let some player organize a challenge and when the holes are found and reported - assign a title?

/whistling_ dixie

[RocketBoy]

What is going on here?
Bah, never mind.
I will make an uncancelled Middle Earth Exploring challenge one day!
And I am pretty experienced at it!

[djheydt]

It's iffy, if you get into an officially uncharted area, whether you'll get your character so stuck it can never be retrieved, or not.

I once managed to get up across the hills north of Bree and into the areas which now have the festival grounds and the maze and like that -- but they weren't there yet, just rolling plains and trees. No animals, no mobs. All peaceful and quiet. I didn't realize, then, the risk I was taking. I wouldn't attempt it now.

[Smartig]

I once met someone who knew quite a few ways to get "behind the scenes" and I took a tour with him. I also didn't know the danger back then.
If getting stuck out of bounds + unable to ever recover the character is possible then I'm really scared now... o.o

It happend to me several times that was passing through objects due to rubberbanding on my warsteed. It happend once that I it put me right inside a rock/small hill. So I was underneath the ground. I don't exactly remember how I got out of it, either by moving around or it put me back up automatically after a couple seconds.
Anyways, what if rubberbanding like this puts you seriously out of bounds and makes you lose your character?? :O

[Hikerdude2010]

Yeah, I reserve this kind of activity for Bullroarer. That way if something does happen to the toon, no great loss, and I help close off some of those avenues that could cause players to lose their characters in game.

[Dotlbeme]

One of the most famous places off map was (is?) the little grove in Dol Dinen, where a Hobbit and animal friends frolicked unbenown (and unreachable) by the hoards of orcs and trolls just over the hill. You had to take quite a journey, having to jump precisely in a few spots to get to it. They have since walled up the entry point so it is no longer possible as far as I know.

I have fallen off the map a few times by accident. One was a hole in the Rotting Cellar where a GM had to rescue you (since fixed).

It is NOT recommended that you TRY to go off map. Not that it would necessarily be technically bad for your avatar (you can USUALLY just map out as long as you are not falling). Devs take a dim view of people pushing those boundaries. Worse than any technical failure would be sanctions to your account.

[RocketBoy]

Awesome, I know the risks and I am sure I can take them. The only off-map place I have ever been in (and I was on the map, but its not a place where players are suppose to be) is in Bree. Behind the dwarf-gate. Well, I did go behind the houses, but I managed to type slash stuck and get out, you really have to be careful around those places. Could anyone name a little more that I can visit? Don't worry about me, I won't blame you. If I get lost forever....

[Cakellene]

Awesome, I know the risks and I am sure I can take them. The only off-map place I have ever been in (and I was on the map, but its not a place where players are suppose to be) is in Bree. Behind the dwarf-gate. Well, I did go behind the houses, but I managed to type slash stuck and get out, you really have to be careful around those places. Could anyone name a little more that I can visit? Don't worry about me, I won't blame you. If I get lost forever....

Answering that question could lead to disciplinary action.

[Nymphonic]

Answering that question could lead to disciplinary action.

I think you can replace the word "could" with "would". Sapience has stressed more than once how serious they are about this.

[RocketBoy]

I think you can replace the word "could" with "would". Sapience has stressed more than once how serious they are about this.

Come on... okay, I won't, I was just kidding anyways.... Sapience, just forget it! Never happened....
Wooo.

[Drachynnn]

I'm not sure what area this post was originally referring to, but when world builders like myself are working on an area that exists on the live servers but that we don't want players to see yet (or that is not intended to be reached), we put in place various boundaries to keep you guys out. This normally includes both physical barriers and coding that kicks players out. When people glitch their way in somehow, there's always the possibility that something glitchy will happen to their character as a result.

It's kinda like Willy Wonka's Factory... you want to indulge, despite the warnings, but something could go tragically awry because it's not ready for your consumption yet. Do you want to see hobbits... or oompa loompas? As an explorer myself, I understand your yearnings, but I cannot encourage the prospect of your precioussss characters blowing up like giant blueberries, rolled away forevermore

Hmm... I suddenly have a craving!!

[Tirian-Hammerfist]

I'm not sure what area this post was originally referring to, but when world builders like myself are working on an area that exists on the live servers but that we don't want players to see yet (or that is not intended to be reached), we put in place various boundaries to keep you guys out. This normally includes both physical barriers and coding that kicks players out. When people glitch their way in somehow, there's always the possibility that something glitchy will happen to their character as a result.

I understand the principle behind all these invisible walls, I just miss the freedom of being able to explore - it really felt like an achievement to get out of the edges of the map, considering how anti-exploration orientated the most recent expansions have been - there used to be areas which were purely for explorative purposes... (eg. Starmere Lakes, Ost Baranor anyone?) Admittedly there a few nice little explorative features in Rohan - the treehouse, Eorl's Hallow, Eomund's End etc., but there could be much more! The most irritating block that I find currently is that which runs along the western side of the Wold. It would be less irritating if there had actually been some mountains (or unscaleable hills), but instead, you just run into an invisible wall, which is painfully lorebreaking and anti-immersion; sure, prevent us from going there, but actually use the landscape to do this, don't be lazy with the invisi-walls!

Regarding the OP's original discussion (before he changed it), I remember several great things that I used to be able to get to see (all blocked off now of course - and so I hope not a blockable offence as I've not mentioned the ways that used to lead to them) - a prototype Farmer Maggot's house and the surroundings, a giant lake which looked to be the original Evendim, and a spookily empty hobbit housing zone when approached from any way other than the main gate. As well as an endless falling off a cliff in the Misties (well, I say endless, you died after about 2/3 minutes) - those were the days, though I do understand the logic against preventing it now.

[LeppardUK]

I understand the principle behind all these invisible walls, I just miss the freedom of being able to explore - it really felt like an achievement to get out of the edges of the map, considering how anti-exploration orientated the most recent expansions have been - there used to be areas which were purely for explorative purposes... (eg. Starmere Lakes, Ost Baranor anyone?) Admittedly there a few nice little explorative features in Rohan - the treehouse, Eorl's Hallow, Eomund's End etc., but there could be much more! The most irritating block that I find currently is that which runs along the western side of the Wold. It would be less irritating if there had actually been some mountains (or unscaleable hills), but instead, you just run into an invisible wall, which is painfully lorebreaking and anti-immersion; sure, prevent us from going there, but actually use the landscape to do this, don't be lazy with the invisi-walls!

I completely disagree with this. There are no mountains in the middle of Rohan, and adding some just to create barriers for us would be completely lorebreaking. You can't just add mountains or hills where there shouldn't be any! There was a bit of discussion about this when they announced Eastern Rohan last year (or whenever it was) and, if I remember correctly, the consensus was that a lot of players preferred invisible walls.

[Tirian-Hammerfist]

I completely disagree with this. There are no mountains in the middle of Rohan, and adding some just to create barriers for us would be completely lorebreaking. You can't just add mountains or hills where there shouldn't be any! There was a bit of discussion about this when they announced Eastern Rohan last year (or whenever it was) and, if I remember correctly, the consensus was that a lot of players preferred invisible walls.

There are hills already there, but simply a gentle incline, these can be modified slightly to prevent us getting past. Bouncing into an invisible wall is far worse than being stopped by an unscaleable hill.

[Darlgon]

I'm not sure what area this post was originally referring to, but when world builders like myself are working on an area that exists on the live servers but that we don't want players to see yet (or that is not intended to be reached), we put in place various boundaries to keep you guys out. This normally includes both physical barriers and coding that kicks players out. When people glitch their way in somehow, there's always the possibility that something glitchy will happen to their character as a result.

It's kinda like Willy Wonka's Factory... you want to indulge, despite the warnings, but something could go tragically awry because it's not ready for your consumption yet. Do you want to see hobbits... or oompa loompas? As an explorer myself, I understand your yearnings, but I cannot encourage the prospect of your precioussss characters blowing up like giant blueberries, rolled away forevermore

Hmm... I suddenly have a craving!!

I want to see COWS...

[oldbadgerbrock]

The first rule of Middle-earth Explorer Club is you don't talk about Middle-earth Explorer Club.

It's kinda like Willy Wonka's Factory... you want to indulge, despite the warnings, but something could go tragically awry because it's not ready for your consumption yet. Do you want to see hobbits... or oompa loompas?

I love the Willy Wonka analogy.

[Drachynnn]

I understand the principle behind all these invisible walls, I just miss the freedom of being able to explore - it really felt like an achievement to get out of the edges of the map, considering how anti-exploration orientated the most recent expansions have been - there used to be areas which were purely for explorative purposes... (eg. Starmere Lakes, Ost Baranor anyone?) Admittedly there a few nice little explorative features in Rohan - the treehouse, Eorl's Hallow, Eomund's End etc., but there could be much more!

While we will still continue to make strides to keep folks out of completely uncharted greenland territory, I understand your desire to find nooks and crannies off the beaten path that are still within bounds. My team's first priority is to accommodate the necessary lore and content going into an area, but absolutely, we love adding in other interesting finds on the map when possible! It's a bit more challenging in the open plains of Rohan, but perhaps there are a few treasures you've yet to encounter

The most irritating block that I find currently is that which runs along the western side of the Wold. It would be less irritating if there had actually been some mountains (or unscaleable hills), but instead, you just run into an invisible wall, which is painfully lorebreaking and anti-immersion; sure, prevent us from going there, but actually use the landscape to do this, don't be lazy with the invisi-walls!

This was a tough design decision that went through a few iterations, trying to create a boundary that would accomplish what we needed here. It was not intended to be as steep as the rise seen from other parts of Rohan. We'll consider other ideas if this sort of situation presents itself again.

[Dotlbeme]

Awesome, I know the risks and I am sure I can take them. The only off-map place I have ever been in (and I was on the map, but its not a place where players are suppose to be) is in Bree. Behind the dwarf-gate. Well, I did go behind the houses, but I managed to type slash stuck and get out, you really have to be careful around those places. Could anyone name a little more that I can visit? Don't worry about me, I won't blame you. If I get lost forever....

Thing about the dwarf gate is...You put this thing in the middle of Bree, naturally people are going to want to try to get in there, just because it is there, and if they succeed by glitch or not, you cannot really blame them for trying. Whole different story if you are at the boundary of a zone, looking to get off-map.

[Cakellene]

There are hills already there, but simply a gentle incline, these can be modified slightly to prevent us getting past. Bouncing into an invisible wall is far worse than being stopped by an unscaleable hill.

I actually prefer invisible walls. Unscalable inclines make me try and find a path around them, while invisible walls clearly tell me YOU SHALL NOT PASS!