Dev Diary Feedback: Book 13: Welcome to Forochel!

[Terinati]

Please note that most people playing this game are patiently waiting for everything.
If Turbine only followed the path of the Fellowship in the trilogy we would never see places like Mirkwood, The Grey Havens , or Esgaroth and The Lonely Mountain, all definitive points of interest in Middle Earth. In my opinion we don't need to see the entire world in the first year.

Exactly. Like gourmet cuisine, your consumption of Middle Earth should be savored, not wolfed down like a happy meal from Mcdonald's.

Also I like that we do not just follow the fellowship around and do exactly what they do. There are plenty of other games like that. Arda is much bigger and fuller than the little bit seen in the trilogy.

[Hijynx]

This looks cool overall and I'm excited about it. But one small nit-picky caveat: There sure is a lot of "teal blue" in the images I'm seeing. It looks like the native inhabitants have an inexhaustible supply of "teal dye" that they use on their ropes, spears, housing, and just about everything they can get their hands on. It sorta gives everything a "cartoony" look.

But, again, aside from that. . . I can't wait!

Best,

H

I also got that impression from looking at the pictures. I thought to myself, "Geez, someone on the art team really likes teal". Adding a little can break up the mass of white. Adding a lot can look really out of place.

[TheScyphozoa]

Yes, I am waiting for Mirkwood as well. It seems like a Hunter's dream. LM would be cool there too. Probably gonna get a new reputation faction with Mirkwood, as well.

[Jugman]

Dev's,
Looks great and can't wait. Hoping to find some hidden Tolkein lore tidbits. Borealis is an unexpectedly nice touch.

Winds blowing faster than 2 knots would also be a realistic addition to a barren ice-field. I want to see that cape horizontal, baby! Or maybe a message in the chat window saying: "Your [Fine Westernesse Helm] has blown away in the wind!" As for the breath of the characters showing up in the cold, I could've sworn my toon was doing that in Tal Bruinen a couple months ago. Also mentioned the effects of cold water - I assume it will be like the water in Sarnur? Maybe make it really coooolllddd, e.g.: "Your [Mirrored Ancient Steel Dagger] has shattered upon impact!" JK on those BTW

Keep the updates coming. Great job!

[TheScyphozoa]

That would frustrate us to no end....

[radioyeti]

i hope they have slippery ice

what if they have platforming sections like super mario where you are slipping around on icy platform deals

this would be my favorite expansion ever

or skiing

[jhaerlyn]

wow .... I didn't know Khafar still posted on here

I was hoping to get a dog sled


but the rest of this place sounds great ... at the pace I'm going I should be wrapping up book 14 by the time the Expansion comes out

... I really like the fact the weather is actually going to have a role to play ... something that you have to plan for ...

have cooks makes stuff that helps fight the cold ...OH!! the Liqours! they could give protection against the effects of extreme cold ... and tailors could make fur-lined cloaks ...

heh ... I'd love to see it possible to be taken down to half morale for standing half an hour unprotected in the cold...


i like the fact that they listen to some complaints... but I really hope they don't CHANGE all that stuff they were talking about ... I happen to think that certain roads should be absolutely deadly ...especially at night, in Middle Earth ... Especially places like Angmar which is an Enemy Kingdom on the rise ...

[gradivus]

I notice that under class types in the "open fellowship" social panel in the game, the class "Ranger" is already listed.

[TheScyphozoa]

Yeah, ever heard of Troll and Ranger session play? You can pay 5,000 DP to play as a ranger or a troll for an hour in the ettenmoors.

[Xero852]

Yeah, ever heard of Troll and Ranger session play? You can pay 5,000 DP to play as a ranger or a troll for an hour in the ettenmoors.

Trolls cost 5000 DP, Rangers cost 10 Tokens of Valor.

[Everwin]

"will be able to warm themselves in the villages and camps of the region, on the various geothermal vents scattered across the region and at campfires they themselves can make."

Is this going to be everyone can make campfires or just Hunters. I hope its everyone I feel punished enough for not rolling a hunter.

[Amonceleb]

"will be able to warm themselves in the villages and camps of the region, on the various geothermal vents scattered across the region and at campfires they themselves can make."

Is this going to be everyone can make campfires or just Hunters. I hope its everyone I feel punished enough for not rolling a hunter.

Apprentice cooks can make campfire materials, which in turn can be used to make campfires by anybody, regardless of class. So just go down to the local auction house and pick up a stack, or get real chummy with a lowbie cook!

[Everwin]

Apprentice cooks can make campfire materials, which in turn can be used to make campfires by anybody, regardless of class. So just go down to the local auction house and pick up a stack, or get real chummy with a lowbie cook!

Thank you, I did not know this and was worried I'd have to travel around with a hunter always in chapter 13.

[TheScyphozoa]

Trolls cost 5000 DP, Rangers cost 10 Tokens of Valor.

Oh okay I just assumed they were the same. But how do you get Valor Tokens?

[Scenario]

Dev's,
Looks great and can't wait. Hoping to find some hidden Tolkein lore tidbits. Borealis is an unexpectedly nice touch.

Winds blowing faster than 2 knots would also be a realistic addition to a barren ice-field. I want to see that cape horizontal, baby! Or maybe a message in the chat window saying: "Your [Fine Westernesse Helm] has blown away in the wind!" As for the breath of the characters showing up in the cold, I could've sworn my toon was doing that in Tal Bruinen a couple months ago. Also mentioned the effects of cold water - I assume it will be like the water in Sarnur? Maybe make it really coooolllddd, e.g.: "Your [Mirrored Ancient Steel Dagger] has shattered upon impact!" JK on those BTW

Yeah - something like that probably wouldn't ever make it in as part of environmental gameplay. When we were designing the environmental effects for Forochel, it was important that any impact the effects had were potentially dangerous for players that weren't attempting to mitigate them but not so hindering as to be frustrating and a deterrent from playing in the region.

[dingo7]

It would be cool if the new mount is a mumak or mammoth like in the screenshot.

[Terinati]

Oh okay I just assumed they were the same. But how do you get Valor Tokens?

You get them by doing the freep PvE quests in the Moors. I suppose they didn't want to make it straight DP, so you actually had to play as a freep for a little bit to get a ranger.

[Amoryn]

It would be cool if the new mount is a mumak or mammoth like in the screenshot.

There is no new mount in book 13... just a new horse/pony skin, probably rep bought.

[birdman35]

any info on when we'll be getting this update

[lackshot]

forochel was sweet when you could illegally get into it, i cant wait to see what it is like now

[TheScyphozoa]

You could WHAT??!!>!>!?!?

[CujoSWAoA]

Its really disappointing that with all you guys have done, you couldn't add in foot prints in the snow.

The LOTRO enviroment is already so lackluster when it comes to Interacting with it, it makes it feel like you're walking on a panting in most cases.

Sometimes in this game you run through water and don't even hear any noises. Seeing your character's heavy boot breaking powdery snow, would just be very immersive. (Unless you're an elf, which I'm told then you feet would not do).

[nimrodblack]

Its the 15th...*looks around*

*sigh* Well I was hoping.

[TechnoBlue]

Still the 14th where the servers are (eastern USA). I'm hoping to find Book 13 on Roheryn when it comes back up after today's server maintenance. That would put it on track for an end of April release, if they follow the usual timing.

[Scenario]

Its really disappointing that with all you guys have done, you couldn't add in foot prints in the snow.

When Forochel began development, we brainstormed a number of ideas. Footprints was one of them. There was a point in the past where they were enable and they did not look good at all. After some investigation, we decided to spent our time and effort on other interesting weather effects (such as the new breath and blizzard effects).