LOTRO Thoughts...

[Sapience]

Well, if you could bring yourself to tell us just once more, those of us who are reading this thread would know, and that would cut down the questions to some extent.

If you say you've answered it, I believe you; but I for one have never seen it.

I did, scroll up.

[Reximus]

It amazes me how many times we've answered this and how many times people say we never have. And how many times we continue to answer it, and people still say we never have.

To be fair, Turbine hasn't been terrible specific about exactly what it all does, which is what I read the OP as asking be revealed at such a time in the far far future that LOTRO might shut down. Yes, we know to wear it for festivals and epic quests, and the treasure hunt, because it does something, but we don't know what it does for festivals and the epic quest and the treasure hunt.

[DanteIL]

Sigh, okay I'll bite:

"Some portions of the Epic story and certain festival events benefit from having this lucky horseshoe. In fact, the winter festival would be a good time to dust it off!"

and

"And it does reveal several things. And with a little thought it should actually tell you quite a bit about both what it does now and will do in the future (that's another tip off BTW).One of the dwarves in the Treasure Hunt suggests to take something lucky into the fields, saying that "one should always carry a lucky item in their pocket, like a horse shoe."

Three pretty clear examples. Also, as we've said many times, It changes. As developers add new things to it it does more. So to say it does "X" would be untrue. It does impact a portion of the epic story (which is where you get it remember), and the winter festival, and some other things and probably more that I am not aware of.

Three examples, yes, but not all so clear:

1) Treasure Hunt -- presumably helps chance of getting bigger treasure caches (my guess; has it been demonstrated?)

2) Winter Festival -- demonstrated to help in Snowball Fight

3) "a portion of the epic story" --> no clue here

You may think you've answered, but clearly many players don't think you've answered sufficiently. What we have here is a failure to agree upon what exactly constitutes an adequate "answer" in this case. The justification of being coy is the fact that its effects change over time, and so no one answer will ever suffice. But as long as its functions remain ambiguous, then people will continue to ask. You shouldn't be surprised by this.

[Crell_1]

1) Treasure Hunt -- presumably helps chance of getting bigger treasure caches (my guess; has it been demonstrated?)

Verifably False.

The caches locations are set when the round spawns. ; At best it influences the outcome of the RNG pull from a specific cache (IE better odds of a mount on the huge, etc.); Or possibly such things as a 'pick return' (opening a cache and just getting a pick back along with the other stuff) etc.

[The-Walrus]

This isn't an answer?

"Some portions of the Epic story and certain festival events benefit from having this lucky horseshoe. In fact, the winter festival would be a good time to dust it off!"

and

"And it does reveal several things. And with a little thought it should actually tell you quite a bit about both what it does now and will do in the future (that's another tip off BTW).One of the dwarves in the Treasure Hunt suggests to take something lucky into the fields, saying that "one should always carry a lucky item in their pocket, like a horse shoe."

Three pretty clear examples. Also, as we've said many times, It changes. As developers add new things to it it does more. So to say it does "X" would be untrue. It does impact a portion of the epic story (which is where you get it remember), and the winter festival, and some other things and probably more that I am not aware of.

Well, instead of trying to be funny (during the times in past when asked about it), you could have said things like this two(?) years ago. Numerous amounts of people didn't pick that thing up simply because it looked like borderline april's fool day item, and there were no informations about it at all.
I won't cry about it, because you can still get things done in festivals, but your reply sort of annoyed me a little bit from general principle. You Turbine guys should really think about being a bit more serious when asked about stuff (that doesn't mean you should throw away any sense of humour, however!). This is more or less what I mean.

[WBS]

I used the Horseshoe for the Treasure Hunt event in early 2012 (I can't remember the exact date but it was well before RoR released) and got a Worn Symbol of the Elder King from the one and only Unearthed Sack I opened. I wore it again at the Winter Festival the same year and got a Tarnished Symbol of Celibrimbor from a Sack of Presents. I can't say whether the Horseshoe had any actual effect on my getting these items, but you can bet I've used it at every festival since!

I tend to put it on at any time the RNG comes into play as well, such as opening chests after instance runs and opening Hobbit Presents etc.

[bambubambubambu]

...I'm gonna keep playin' anyway

[ShireDweller]

I have had this vision for awhile. When the game is about to be closed down, as as the final chapter in the Epic Storyline I want the option of entering a Final instance where my character is farewelled at the Grey Havens by the surviving (and still present) members of the fellowship and is allowed to sail off to the undying lands in recognition of all of his efforts in the War of the Ring. It could be announced across the server whenever someone elects this option, so that others could wish him well, along perhaps with the total # of deeds he has achieved in the game. :-)

This is what I'd been thinking of myself for the end of the game. I'd like it to take us away on the boat after the farewell too, so we can go into the West and beyond the veil, and have that be the last thing we see in LOTRO.

[Lohi]

Well, instead of trying to be funny (during the times in past when asked about it), you could have said things like this two(?) years ago. Numerous amounts of people didn't pick that thing up simply because it looked like borderline april's fool day item, and there were no informations about it at all.

But most of the fun of the item is precisely because it's mysterious and intentionally meant to be funny. Some people don't have a sense of humor in that regard perhaps. Any effect the item has is very small, so very small that it's not worth worrying about. If some players didn't pick up the item when they had the chance, then there is no loss to them! Then again, the alternative items lose all their value completely once you get better replacements.

I'm honestly baffled why this still annoys people. I'm very positive that if the full effects are ever revealed, many players without any humor will immediately start writing rage posts about how their valuable time was wasted carrying around the things. Well maybe not that these players don't have humor but they're firmly entrenched in the old school MMO mindset where everything is fully revealed in fine grained detail.

[J_Howell]

This is what I'd been thinking of myself for the end of the game. I'd like it to take us away on the boat after the farewell too, so we can go into the West and beyond the veil, and have that be the last thing we see in LOTRO.

Exactly! Though there really should be four versions - elf characters sail into the West, other races do an appropriate farewell of their own. Hobbits return and settle down in the Shire; Dwarves - probably join Gimli's settlement of the Glittering Caves (we know that the Moria Expedition we did so many quests for is not actually the successful one that finally reclaims Moria); humans - maybe origin specific, returning and settling down in Bree/Rohan/Gondor. Not sure what the Dalemen would do.

I guess a simpler version would be for us to be at the Gray Havens in the background as the Ringbearers sail into the West. Though saying farewell to the NPCs lacks the sense of closure of Bard85's suggestion that our characters be the one to leave in the last scene of the game.

Re: the Horseshoe, I too find the existing "explanations" linked in this thread unhelpful. Then again I haven't been to a Winter Festival in a couple of years, and never did much with the snowball fight anyway. Tried the Treasure Hunt once, didn't find it interesting. I have absolutely no idea what part of the epic quest the horseshoe is supposed to affect, and I've done that through GR with six characters and through Wildermore with three... I do tend to equip it when farming Riddermark Ore (it's hardly going to make the Tarnished Crest drop rate even lower), and opening instance quests when I think to do so (again, not going to make the drop rate of useful loot any lower than it already is).

[qannadi]

Spoilery-

So something you can check for yourself if you have appropriate alts.. In Vol 3, Book 2, Chapter 15 (An Echo of Days Past)- if you have the horseshoe on, when you travel to the top of the instance to open the locked gate or whatever it was, you will see a very... Wizardly figure standing below you. I have done this a couple of times to verify, and feel pretty 100% sure about it, but feel free to test on your own.. If you don't have it on, nothing to see below.

[Shadowhunter78]

Makes me wish I hadn't sold my horseshoe. sigh.

[robbie1435]

1. Tell us what Erebrandir's Horseshoe does. The mystery has bothered me ever since I got the thing.
.

Hopefully LoTRO will never truly "Shut Down" as Turbine will always support it... I would like to know what this shiny horseshoe does though =D. How about ell us when HD is out?

[robbie1435]

I used the Horseshoe for the Treasure Hunt event in early 2012 (I can't remember the exact date but it was well before RoR released) and got a Worn Symbol of the Elder King from the one and only Unearthed Sack I opened. I wore it again at the Winter Festival the same year and got a Tarnished Symbol of Celibrimbor from a Sack of Presents. I can't say whether the Horseshoe had any actual effect on my getting these items, but you can bet I've used it at every festival since!

I tend to put it on at any time the RNG comes into play as well, such as opening chests after instance runs and opening Hobbit Presents etc.

Apparently a dev or someone posted on a "What do it do" thread saying, "Just remember to wear it at festivals"

[robbie1435]

It amazes me how many times we've answered this and how many times people say we never have. And how many times we continue to answer it, and people still say we never have.

They actually were good answers, in my opinion... I really like the mystery of trying to find out what the exact properties are... Sure there are many hints in the game, and the slight unveiling on the forums, but the specifics are a good thing to find out on my own.

[Locksmythe]

Returning briefly to the concept of the last week activities, Suaron gets the Ring and the Darkness begins. Creeps would run amok along with all of the Servants of Sauron in the wave of destruction that would sweep to the Sea! Player characters would be hard pressed to hold off the tide to let any of the last boats sail into the West.

[HeirOfNumenor]

I love the idea of sailing off Into the West (perhaps we watch the Fellowship leave, and then Cirdan tells us: "Your ship is almost ready to sail as well"....


What concerns me more is: once the final expansion is released (Mordor/Mount Doom) and the endcapped players get their satisfaction with the final quests/raids, in the first 1-3 months after release....then what? How long do you suppose that the servers will be populated? How long will Turbine keep the servers running as the playerbase dwindles - with no reason to return (story is over)? Think it's bad NOW, trying to do a Fellowship quest, 6 man instance, or raiding?

[StavroMuellerBeta]

What concerns me more is: once the final expansion is released (Mordor/Mount Doom) and the endcapped players get their satisfaction with the final quests/raids, in the first 1-3 months after release....then what?

According to Jeffrey Steefel in a 2009 interview:
"There's another approach that says we work through our very recognisable content in five years or so and then let the community evolve and see what the world becomes; that's when it becomes interesting, seeing a living, breathing world that takes on a life of its own. We still have to do it within a licence, but the world itself is so complete you can imagine all kind of interesting things happening. How do players, someday, participate more in what that world actually is?"

The original plan was for the game to be called Middle-earth Online, taking place entirely within the fourth age, but that plan was scaled back when Turbine acquired the game. If Vivendi could come up with enough post-Mordor content to cover an entire MMO, I'm sure Turbine could come up with enough content to squeeze out a few more years. After all, Sauron wasn't the only big bad guy in Middle-earth, he was just the only one directly fighting against the fellowship.

[Nymphonic]

Rather than linking to a 3rd party site that simply links back to the forums you could have just linked the forum post.

This isn't an answer?

"Some portions of the Epic story and certain festival events benefit from having this lucky horseshoe. In fact, the winter festival would be a good time to dust it off!"

and

"And it does reveal several things. And with a little thought it should actually tell you quite a bit about both what it does now and will do in the future (that's another tip off BTW).One of the dwarves in the Treasure Hunt suggests to take something lucky into the fields, saying that "one should always carry a lucky item in their pocket, like a horse shoe."

Three pretty clear examples. Also, as we've said many times, It changes. As developers add new things to it it does more. So to say it does "X" would be untrue. It does impact a portion of the epic story (which is where you get it remember), and the winter festival, and some other things and probably more that I am not aware of.

As for what players think it does (based on that site). False.

Thanks!

[deliguy]

I would like to see 6ft hobbits and 3ft men and elves. And everyone knows the horseshoe is used to check if the coffee is done

[Neumi]

I did, scroll up.

I scrolled and scrolled and could not find any of your posts telling us about the effect in the snowball fight (that's the only confirmed effect so far), so I can say: no, you didn't.

...Also, as we've said many times, It changes. As developers add new things to it it does more. So to say it does "X" would be untrue...

Which is also valid for every other information about Lotro, since everything is subject to change, according to the licence agreement.

So now I am not asking about what the horseshoe actually does. Let's see if you can avoid these questions as well
What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last summer festival?
What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last spring festival?
What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last farmer's faire?

Did the horseshoe ever have an effect on loot chances? If so, which one?

[Jeremi]

When this game shuts down I hope they learn from their mistakes and make an even better LOTRO.

This game draws from such a rich source of material it could easily become the greatest MMORPG ever made if only they would correct a few of the fatal flaws that held it back.

[Jeremi]

According to Jeffrey Steefel in a 2009 interview:
"There's another approach that says we work through our very recognisable content in five years or so and then let the community evolve and see what the world becomes; that's when it becomes interesting, seeing a living, breathing world that takes on a life of its own. We still have to do it within a licence, but the world itself is so complete you can imagine all kind of interesting things happening. How do players, someday, participate more in what that world actually is?"

The original plan was for the game to be called Middle-earth Online, taking place entirely within the fourth age, but that plan was scaled back when Turbine acquired the game. If Vivendi could come up with enough post-Mordor content to cover an entire MMO, I'm sure Turbine could come up with enough content to squeeze out a few more years. After all, Sauron wasn't the only big bad guy in Middle-earth, he was just the only one directly fighting against the fellowship.

I agree. This game took a steady decline once it changed hands. Now it's just a money trap with a lot of fluff.

In the beginning this game was something special and offered a unique experience. I understand it wasn't very successful, but I don't know why. Though I strongly suspect it was because of hardware issues. This game required top of the line equipment to play when it was released, and I think ultimately that probably caused its ruin.

I would have loved to see what this game looked like today if it had stayed in the hands of the original development team. The depth and strategy that was present in this game's early years was amazing and still hasn't been rivaled.

[djheydt]

I love the idea of sailing off Into the West (perhaps we watch the Fellowship leave, and then Cirdan tells us: "Your ship is almost ready to sail as well"....

The trouble with that is that unless our characters are Elves, they are NOT going to sail into the West. Not ever. Do you remember what happened to Ar-Pharazon?

Spoiler: he sailed into the West, and the instant his foot touched the shore, Numenor sank beneath the sea. And so did he.

Even the Ring-bearers got no further than Tol Eressea, where they could live in comfort for a few years and be healed of the physical and psychic
wounds inflicted by the Ring, before they died.

The Undying Lands are not for us mortals. Nor could we get there, now the seas are bent. You could sail to the Americas, though, if you wanted to.

[Sapience]

What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last summer festival?
What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last spring festival?
What has been the effect of the horseshoe during the last farmer's faire?
Did the horseshoe ever have an effect on loot chances? If so, which one?

None.
None.
None.
No.