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Author Topic: Book 13 and stuff  (Read 5715 times)
acerogue26
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Posts: 51


on: April 14, 2008, 07:45:26 PM

Because Mr. Bloodworth dropped the ball I'm delurking to quote the change I'm most excited about:

Quote
Book 13: Better Together
[14-Apr-2008]

By "Danger Dan" Parke
Introduction

If you're reading this article, you probably already know that The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM is full of adventures you can undertake solo. With Turbine's frequent content updates (like the addition of the entire region of Forochel with Book 13), the amount of solo content for players continues to grow.

Even with all this copious solo-friendly content, one of the unique features of MMOs is the possibility of teaming up with good friends or perfect strangers to take on challenges that even one hero of Middle-earth could not surmount on his own.

Finding fellowships to work on what you want isn't always easy. Even when you're rolling out with a bunch of friends, figuring out what to work on isn't simple. To top it all off, even after you've drafted your A-Team and know what you're going to do, you still need to assemble before you can roll out.

Well, surprise, surprise! Book 13: Doom of the Last-king contains a host of features designed to address those exact challenges. In Book 13, playing with friends and finding fellowships becomes better-and easier-than ever before. You want details? Read on!


Quest Log Enhancements

This feature began as many other great features have begun... with a ninja. A ninja feature, that is. I'm talking about a feature that only happens when a developer squeezes an extra drop of blood from the stone of schedules to get one more bell (or whistle) into the game. The specific feature in question was added for Book 11, showing players when members of their fellowship were on the same quest as they were.

All of a sudden, opening your quest log could tell you what you and your fellows had in common to work on... without a whole lot of typing of quest names into chat and comparing each other's lists. The feature was pretty popular among the devs and when it went live, we were pretty excited to see that players liked it, too.

For Book 13, we've expanded the idea behind this popular "ninja feature" and used it as a launch pad for a suite of enhancements to the Quest Log:
New Look and Improved UI

    * More prominent filtering options for your list of quests lets you look at just solo quests or just fellowship quests or just the quests you share with your fellowship members.
    * More concise information about quests such as the name of the quest chain, the expected group size for the challenge, the level relative consideration colors, and more!
    * An easier way to add and remove quests from your tracker-just click the big, colorful space next to the quest to put it on or pull it off your tracker.


Shared Quest Status

    * We expanded shared quest status beyond just showing who has the same quest - we tell you where each member of your fellowship stands relative to you for each quest.
    * You can see who among your fellows is behind, or ahead, or even done with the overall quest chain-easily find out who needs to get caught up so that you can tackle that instance or group challenge together.


Shared Status on the Tracker

    * Not only can you see status for all quests in the log, you can switch your quest tracker between showing your own progress and your fellowship's status relative to each quest in your tracker.
    * You can see when your fellowship members are ready to turn in a quest-much easier than spamming fellowship chat asking if everyone is done collecting 10/10 boar stomachs!


Better Quest Sharing

    * Sharing a quest can now share earlier quests in the chain-if you've done a couple of quests in an epic book and your friends haven't started, you can share the quest you are on and they will get the first quest in the chain!
    * That means your fellows can get started on the chain right away-you don't have to remember where you first got the quest or who to talk to, just share anywhere and get your fellows caught up!


Information-Packed Invites

    * No more blind fellowship invites-when you're invited, you see the name, level, class, and location of everyone in the fellowship.
    * Requests to join an open fellowship or raid get the same treatment, so you see more information about the player who wants to join.


Find A Fellowship

Not everyone playing LOTRO today knows that there are tools for finding other players to team up with! The Social Panel's "Fellowing" tab has a number of features to help you search for and invite other players looking for a group or to post what you're looking for and let others invite you. Still, not everyone knows about it or takes the time to use it.

We want to make it dead simple for players to say which quest they most want a fellowship for. What could be nobler than a feature that helps to bring people together... to kill things and take their stuff?

That's where Book 13's "Find A Fellowship" button comes in. It's a new button on the Quest Log that works a little like the "Add to Tracker" button. You can mark one quest for Find A Fellowship.

That automatically opens the Fellowing tab of the Social Panel and fills out all the relevant information. You'll see a list of players who also want to work on that quest (and those players can now find you, too).

Here's a simple way to work this new feature into your routine: When you log in for a session of LOTRO, pop open your quest log and mark the quest you want to find a group for. If there are people already looking to play, great! Send some invites and make a fellowship. If not, just let the system work for you in the background. Work on some solo quests, Deeds, crafting, and wait for a few invites to come your way. You can always open the Fellowing tab while you're playing to see if there are more people looking for the same thing as you.
Mustering Horns

The final piece is, quite literally, to bring it all together. (Or, if you prefer, bind them, in the pre-dawn semi-darkness). However you refer to it, we call the feature "Mustering Horns" and they are coming to a Campsite near you.

Whether you've just found a pick-up group using Find a Fellowship or the LFF channel, or if you've pulled one together from friends or kinship members, if you are spread out across Middle-earth, getting together can take a while. The Mustering Horn has the solution-if one of your fellowship members can get to a campsite near where you all want to quest, you can all be there in short order. Just get there, use the Mustering Horn, and start getting the band back together.

There are limitations, of course. You have to be of appropriate level for the area to use a horn, as does the person being summoned. Further, an individual cannot be summoned more than once every 30 minutes (though one person can summon as many people as they want). Also, it'll take a traveling ration for both sides and it won't work while in combat. If you need a fellowship member where you are ASAP, Captains and their ability summon anywhere, anytime are still the best. Even with those limitations, Mustering Horns still make it easier to get your group together and start adventuring together.
Wrapping It Up

When you log in after Book 13 launches, you'll find a host of improvements and new features all designed to make finding a fellowship easier, figuring out what to do simple, and getting the gang together faster.

    * Massive enhancements to the Quest Log will help you figure out what quests your fellowship has in common and track progress toward completion.
    * An upgrade to our Looking for Fellowship feature will connect with your Quest Log to help you find a group for specific quests.
    * Mustering Horns placed at campsites will allow you to quickly bring your fellowship together in one place.

What's the bottom line? With these Book 13 features, you can spend less time preparing for fun and more time having fun as you play the game, complete quests, and adventure in Middle-earth!

...oh and they're adding like a new zone and stuff too I guess  Ohhhhh, I see.
Mrbloodworth
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Posts: 15148


Reply #1 on: April 15, 2008, 06:18:03 AM

I'm sorry i failed you  huh

But i do have a link to the Book 13 spotlight DRILLING AND MANLINESS It basically lists all the stuff coming in book 13 in an overview format, with links to more specific articles.

The shared quests is an  DRILLING AND MANLINESS change.





« Last Edit: April 15, 2008, 06:20:16 AM by Mrbloodworth »

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Tarami
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Posts: 1980


Reply #2 on: April 15, 2008, 06:21:43 AM

I'm curious about the fishing. Not so much because I enjoy fishing in MMOs, but how Turbine has implemented it. It may actually add quite a bit of immersion to the game. :)

- I'm giving you this one for free.
- Nothing's free in the waterworld.
Mrbloodworth
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Posts: 15148


Reply #3 on: April 15, 2008, 06:34:08 AM

I'm curious about the fishing. Not so much because I enjoy fishing in MMOs, but how Turbine has implemented it. It may actually add quite a bit of immersion to the game. :)

Yeah, i know a couple of people here are, but the nitty-gritty details have not been disclosed yet beyond the "Fish anywhere" and "Fish recipes added". I am 100% sure there will be some diary or something on it soon, most likely this is just a foundation addition ATM however, they like to do that, add the basics and expand on it later, take the Quest window enhancements, and housing enhancements as examples.

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Signe
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Muse.


Reply #4 on: April 15, 2008, 06:37:04 AM

Why don't they just do it?  Dammit.  I hate when people make me wait.  Hate.

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Mrbloodworth
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Reply #5 on: April 15, 2008, 06:42:31 AM

Why don't they just do it?  Dammit.  I hate when people make me wait.  Hate.

Do what?

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Signe
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Muse.


Reply #6 on: April 15, 2008, 06:43:24 AM

IT!!!

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Mrbloodworth
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Reply #7 on: April 15, 2008, 06:48:12 AM

IT!!!

(lol, i knew you were going to say that lol).

I dug up this for you, and only you.

Quote
Brekkee - *Godot* Tell us more about how fishing works, how where and to what extend?
Meghan_Turbine - Hi Godot! That's a LOT of material to cover, too much for a chat. I believe Saffron will be posting a fishing dev diary tomorrow, though, so check lotro.com. smiley

Considering this is from a dev chat yesterday.... that means today.

Quote
Brekkee - *DBSRick* With the introductionof fishing will woodworkers be seeing Fishing pole recipes? Or all the poles purchased?
Rowan - Woodworkers will absolutely have fishing pole recipes. Mix and match them with your favorite bait!
Rhidden - You will also be able to get a few unique fishing cosmetic clothing items from some quests in Forochel.

Brekkee - *Ed_Reed* how is the fishing animation, can anybody see u with yuor rod
Rowan - Absolutely, animating with your rod is a purely public experience. We've tried to make it very realistic and provide plenty of feedback.
Rhidden - I don’t usually show my rod to just anyone; mostly because it is made of pure Gandalfium and I am afraid of someone stealing it.
Annuvin - Well, at first other folks had trouble seeing the rod. Then we modified the animations a bit, and it poked right out! I think it had to do with our avatar stiffness. When we added more hip motion, it finally hit the water!
Annuvin - We are talking about fishing rods, right?
Meghan_Turbine - I think it's time to go home.
Meghan_Turbine -


« Last Edit: April 15, 2008, 06:50:44 AM by Mrbloodworth »

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Tarami
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Posts: 1980


Reply #8 on: April 15, 2008, 07:54:34 AM

Here: http://www.lotro.com/article/530

Quote
Book 13: Doom of the Last-king – All in Mail, Never Clinking – Fishing in LOTRO

A most-requested feature has finally arrived: Fishing!

We are proud to reveal the sport of fishing as the first "Hobby" introduced to The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM. And what is a Hobby, you ask? A Hobby is an activity that you may choose to participate in for fun or for profit! Similar to LOTRO's crafting professions, a hobby allows players to experience more of the world of Middle-earth, and to interact with the world in new and exciting ways.
 



And what better way to begin than by finding a nice spot along the bank of a river, casting your line into the water nearby, and basking in the glory of the day while trying to nab a prize-winning fighting fish - or perhaps your next meal!

Players who are eager to begin the activity of angling should make their way to one of four Hobby Masters, who can be found in the following areas:

    * Bree-town (Scholar's Stair Archives)
    * Michel Delving (Bird and Baby Inn)
    * Ered Luin (Thorin's Halls)
    * Rivendell (Hall of Fire)

Beginning to Fish

Now that you've trained your fishing hobby and received your first fishing pole, it's time to head out and get fishing! Getting started is as easy as finding the nearest pond, lake, or stream. That's right friends - you can fish wherever you'd like in Middle-earth at any fishing proficiency level (proficiency is your skill in fishing). However, keep in mind that some types of fish cannot be found in all locations - you will need to do a bit of exploration to catch'em all!

Once you've found your special fishing spot, it's as easy as casting your line, patiently waiting for a nibble on the hook, and reeling in your catch! At first, any fish you catch will increase your proficiency; however, as you become a more experienced angler you will find that only appropriately-challenging catches will improve your skill.
 



Advanced Fishing

Once you've mastered the fundamentals of fishing, you may wish to gain an advantage over your aquatic prey through the use of bait. The various fishing suppliers found throughout Middle-earth can provide you with bait such as Nightcrawlers, Leeches, and Red Wigglers - for a small price, of course! Bait will increase your chances of catching fish for a small amount of time.

Advanced fisherman should be on the lookout for fish that can be used in Cooking recipes (yum!), as well as special fish that can be brought to the Fishing Taxidermist for mounting on plaques that can be placed in your house. What better way to demonstrate your fishing mastery than to show off your prize catches!

There are also titles to be earned though achieving certain fishing proficiency milestones, as well as fishing-related quests and deeds - but we'd like to leave the specifics of those for you to discover. Good luck out there, and don't let that big one get away!

 


- I'm giving you this one for free.
- Nothing's free in the waterworld.
Signe
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Posts: 18942

Muse.


Reply #9 on: April 15, 2008, 08:23:34 AM

I wonder if you can sell fish you've stuffed and mounted.  (not in a pervy way)  And I wonder if you can catch other surprises.  I wonder.  I wonder.

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
Tarami
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Posts: 1980


Reply #10 on: April 15, 2008, 09:37:34 AM

Well, considering that current trophies are BoA, I doubt so. I believe trophies are explicitly meant to be personal and will remain so as more are added.

- I'm giving you this one for free.
- Nothing's free in the waterworld.
Bandit
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Reply #11 on: April 15, 2008, 10:10:40 AM

I assume this book hasn't gone live yet? If not, when is it expected to go live? I might actually resub to check some of these updates out.
Tarami
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Posts: 1980


Reply #12 on: April 15, 2008, 10:54:57 AM

Likely 30th in the US, 1st in the EU. I'm basing this on the fact that the test server is getting it this week and it usually gets the patch two weeks in advance.

Personally I'm looking forward to be bumming around in Forochel, the new ice zone. Simply because the zones in LotRO are awesome. I'm still going "Oooh" when I'm travelling through some areas.

Edit; I added grammar, too.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2008, 11:02:26 AM by Tarami »

- I'm giving you this one for free.
- Nothing's free in the waterworld.
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