Bullroarer is now live with Book 7!

[Mrbloodworth]

Book 7 screen shots, items, places, and things.

[HaemishM]

The Battle of Lorien sounds pretty cool.  Always glad to see developers improving and offering alternatives to the same old kill/collect foozles quests.

Fuck yeah, that gives me a bit of an MMOG chubby. It's still PVE, but sounds fantastic.

And the leveling speed really is pretty decent up through 20, even solo. Some nights I've made multiple levels without even noticing, because I'm too busy experiencing the content.

[Soln]

Well the UI and PvMP updates should be around the corner... not complaining.

This is a pretty impressive addition.  Was Evendim/Forochel this big at the time?

Anyways, this surprised me:

Commanding NPCs

Better than GW I wonder?  (hope so).   Really nice design.  Maybe they are experimenting.  If this works, you could see it expanded x2 or more for battles at Helms Deep and elsewhere.  As the story continues, the size of battles will increase.  Could be ZOMG amazing if they allow you to manage whole squads of NPC's during some of these battles (even skirmishes).

Completion Deed

So not only new rewards and rep, but optional new rewards for multiple successes?  Not just hardmode new pants?  Very interesting.  Should keep the highbies busy for awhile.

Optional Battle Objectives

Ok stop it.  Turbine is getting scary innovative.  Small steps, small experiments, which if they work could be amazing in larger settings.  No more kill-boss-foozle, but kill-em-all-some-or-just-that-guy-and-leave-the-Lumber-Mill-standing.  Point is, if this works they can start adding multiple win options that means instances can re-run a huge amount of times for different things.


Yeah so, awesome.  I will very prolly be getting lifetime subscriptions x2 at this rate.


EDIT:  Seems DDO has already had PC controlled NPC's for a while -- same technology/design?: http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Category:Hirelings

[Mrbloodworth]

This is a pretty impressive addition.  Was Evendim/Forochel this big at the time?

Yes, they both ave things that are not found in any other zone. Like, in Forochel , you can freeze to death.

[Soln]

The amount of content really takes away all the pain from leveling. I can pick and choose the interesting quest lines, or if I'm not up for reading quest text, go for the quests with the fancy shinies. Without feeling a grind, the grass looks greener, and heck, I even feel the urge to explore. This is the first MMO I've ever played where I've seriously crafted (grinding ribbed shirts in SWG doesn't count).

So, gushing aside... Does a game ever make it out of the graveyard? Too soon?

"ribbed shirts".  Ah yes Naboo Fiberplast, brings back memories   That and all the non-ferrous metal for WS grinding (barrels on barrels of fun).


Ask Mr.Schild to tear down this wall.

[EWSpider]

Reminds me of how they started off the session play with just the chicken quests.  From there they added the Trolls and Rangers to PvMP and then went on to add the "flashbacks" throughout Moria.

[Stormwaltz]

Anyways, this surprised me:

Commanding NPCs

Better than GW I wonder?  (hope so).   Really nice design.  Maybe they are experimenting.  If this works, you could see it expanded x2 or more for battles at Helms Deep and elsewhere.  As the story continues, the size of battles will increase.  Could be ZOMG amazing if they allow you to manage whole squads of NPC's during some of these battles (even skirmishes).

It's described (slightly) on the last page of today's dev diary.

[Ard]

This is a pretty impressive addition.  Was Evendim/Forochel this big at the time?

Yes, they both ave things that are not found in any other zone. Like, in Forochel , you can freeze to death.

Evendim and Forochel are both pretty big, but lets not take this out of perspective.  Alot of the Lorien stuff was supposed to come in with MoM, that's why there's so much other side stuff coming also, like the newbie zone revamps.  That said, new stuff is always shiny :D

[Stormwaltz]

I fucking called it.

I see Golden Bears.

[Soln]

Well, at least it's not boars.

[Ard]

Well, at least it's not boars.

I'm still amused to no end by the Evendim boar quest.

[Ozzu]

Ask Mr.Schild to tear down this wall.

 

Edit - That's supposed to be a mob in agreement with the statement. That is not an angry mob wanting to burn you.

[Tannhauser]

Wow.  Book 7 is packed tighter than a fat chick in a leotard.  Do you think they are experimenting with these squad commands before they scale up with the Battle of the Hornburg and Pelennor Fields?

I really, really hope they add a small portion of Mirkwood.  Dol Guldur would also be a great place to make as well since very little is known of it after Sauron left.

Oh and bears are the new boars.

[Azuredream]

Maybe I've just been spoiled by warhammer's quest system and the Quest Helper addon in World of Warcraft, but when I resubbed for MoM the biggest fun-sucker for me was me trying to figure out where quests were, usually me trying to follow the quest directions, getting frustrated after 10-15 minutes and then looking it up on mmodb. I like reading quests, I like the sense of immersion, but I get no sense of immersion by blundering around for 30 minutes to find a quest that takes 30 seconds to complete. The new quest helper feature will make me enjoy this game SO MUCH more.

[Yegolev]

My wife is also very excited about the quest tracker.  She's not the kind of person who enjoys scenery a lot, rather she enjoys accomplishing goals and this will definitely help.  Especially the bit where you see them on the big map, even I like that.

[Delmania]

I fucking called it.

I see Golden Bears.

If you skin them, do they aggro every other bears?  They're friends, after all.

[Mrbloodworth]

Wow.  Book 7 is packed tighter than a fat chick in a leotard.  Do you think they are experimenting with these squad commands before they scale up with the Battle of the Hornburg and Pelennor Fields?

I really, really hope they add a small portion of Mirkwood.  Dol Guldur would also be a great place to make as well since very little is known of it after Sauron left.

Mirkwood is supposed to be next (Next book, not expansion, and i gather this from various developer statements on the forums), its said to be a huge zone all by its self with much content. Turbine does have a habit of put a small something in, then seeing how it goes, and expanding it later. See "Session play" that started with chickens, and now includes "Flash backs" to historic events, ranger play, and troll play...among others.

I like the implementation of the quest helper, its not full blown "Its right here" but really more of a guide, its a good midway between not having one, and having one that tells your the direct X Y Z of what your looking for.

I found this discription of it:

It doesn't give you the exact spot, but puts an arrow guiding you to the general area. Just like when you enter a town, once you get to the general area, the arrow disappears. It points off the edge of the map until you get in the area then, when in that area, the location title, below the mini-map for the area, will strobe. It works this way for locate item quests as well as kill x of y type quests. Your main map can also be highlighted to select the general area for quests on your tracker, and there are icons on the main map showing where to turn in each quest when it is complete. Region quests point to the nearest part of that region until you get there. (Killing 10 boars is an example of a region quest.)

Below is an image of the map in the starter instance. You can see on it a blue icon with an X, and a pair of pale white circular highlights. The blue icon is used for single stationary targets (people, items, etc.), while the highlighted fields are used for targets that roam. Hovering your cursor over the quest name highlights its icon further, by turning the blue icon green, or brightening the white fields. Hovering over map areas displays the coordinates on the map that your cursor is pointing to (which display in the lower left corner).

Also, please note the checkbox for turning the system OFF. By unchecking it, the highlights and icons vanish, the box with quest names (which is movable like a window) as well. The map reverts back to the standard, aside from the running Coordinates display in the lower left.



On your radar, you can have a quest pointer active to point toward your goal. These usually activate automatically based on the most recent addition, though I think I've seen them switch automatically based on proximity to a goal. Regardless, if you're in or near an area for a quest, the location name with highlight in yellow, and hovering your cursor over it gives a readout of what quests you're near. You can also manually choose which quest pointer is active by the same method you remove listings from it: the ring on the side.



Overhead map won't show areas you haven't been to yet -- such as lonelands, where you haven't been to an area. The indicator on your min-map will point to the area but you won't get any markers or the like on the big map.

It will "automatically" flip to different quests. It works with only the quests you have up in your tracker (the 5 quests there) and will "psychically" flip to the closest quest to where you're at

EDIT: Found a nice video.

[Yegolev]

Noticing the new quests, I realize I am going to have to go back to Ered Luin and do all those.

[Mrbloodworth]

Noticing the new quests, I realize I am going to have to go back to Ered Luin and do all those.

Apparently, they not only added more, but they regrouped them too. So, no more running to location, turning in, and being sent to the same location again just a little deeper. (This is just forum hearsay reading from the test server forums )

[Tarami]

I think the guide looks fantastic. It seems like a good balance between mindless connect-the-dots and a solid help when when/if you want/need it.

[rturja]

Apparently, they not only added more, but they regrouped them too. So, no more running to location, turning in, and being sent to the same location again just a little deeper. (This is just forum hearsay reading from the test server forums )

Pure if this is true. After completing a dozen or so quests in that area in three or four batches and then running once more to the area in order to complete one more quest is bad. I won't mind some of it, but with some areas and chains in LotRO *cough* lone lands *cough* it can be mite excessive.

/edit - some silliness in language

[Yegolev]

See, I think Lone Lands is a decent example of when they were learning to group up quests.  Maybe it was an accident.  The thing I like so much about the Forsaken Inn quests is that you can go into the Inn, click on everyone with a ring, and your quests are all in the same general areas.  There's the one that has you backtrack to the Midgewater a little, but the animals and orc-kind can be found in the highlands north of the Inn and other specific gathering quests can be found in the ruins to the south, along with a few of the kill/gather quests (gob swords, wolf parts, etc).  The thing is that you have to know how they group so you can take advantage of the co-location.

[Tarami]

Thought this screen deserved being posted.

[Mrbloodworth]

Apparently, they not only added more, but they regrouped them too. So, no more running to location, turning in, and being sent to the same location again just a little deeper. (This is just forum hearsay reading from the test server forums )

Pure if this is true. After completing a dozen or so quests in that area in three or four batches and then running once more to the area in order to complete one more quest is bad. I won't mind some of it, but with some areas and chains in LotRO *cough* lone lands *cough* it can be mite excessive.

/edit - some silliness in language

Page 2 of 6

Elf/Dwarf Pre-Skórgrim’s Tomb

We found many of the quests in this area told players to run back and forth or up and down over vast expanses of land. This took much of the fun out of the area and soaked it up like a sponge: a fun sponge. This made us sad and gave us a great starting point to make changes to the area.

On the Dwarf side we made the following changes:

    * Dwarf characters now start in Frerin’s Court, no longer in the Breghold.
          o The location of quest bestowers and trainers in the Breghold resulted in maddening travel times as players ran back and forth throughout their early careers. We decided that moving all NPCs to the centrally located Frerin’s Court provided a central location where players could more easily access all surrounding content.
    * Quests now spiral out from Frerin’s Court.
          o Early quests – those beyond the initial training bits – drive players outside of Frerin’s Court toward the Silver Deep.
    * Quest targets are clearly defined and located in central areas.
          o Too many of the targets new players searched for were sharing spawn locations. This could lead to frustration and difficulty in finishing quests.
    * We eliminated much of the zoning.
          o We removed much of the previously needed dungeon zoning as waiting through load screens is not fun. No fun sponges!
    * Added new quests to support the experience.

On the Elf side we made the following changes:

    * Starting location altered.
          o The ruins are now infested with evil and require cleansing. Players will find they arrive at Edhelion in nearly the same location they departed the tutorial instance.
    * Quests are focused on Edhelion.
          o Quests focus on cleansing the ruins of the evil that has crept into the location after the Elf exodus.
    * Elf players have a unique experience from Dwarf players.
          o Quests now give Elf players a feeling that they are separated from the Dwarf players, where before the experience was wholly shared. Elf and Dwarf players do eventually share the experience but the merge is more gradual.
    * Removed all zoning.
          o Quest structure allows Elf players the freedom to explore the area surrounding Thorin’s Hall without the need to go underground.
    * Many new quests added to support the elf experience.

It may not sound like a lot, but the result is a significantly changed new player experience.

For both Dwarf and Elf players we made the following changes:

    * Quest target locations centralized.
          o Quests that ran players up the hill toward Edhelion or up the hill beyond the mustering cave caused too much running through heavy monster camps. In an effort to lighten travel times we updated the locations of certain dungeons to create more centralized questing.
    * Enhanced rewards.
          o Rewards are now catered more toward race/class than before. We also added some dye to alleviate the monochromatic feel of new player armors.

Other page:

Gondamon has undergone a significant transformation in terms of quest layout and bestowal. In an effort to provide players a cleaner questing experience, more quests are available from the outset and fewer quests send players back and forth to the same location multiple times. We have also made an effort to create smaller ancillary hubs where they make sense. An example of this is Thrasi’s Lodge or the elf ruin near the Edain Mounds.

Link

[Stormwaltz]

Thought this screen deserved being posted.

That screen actually bothered me. I love LotRO's visuals - witness my vast (and still incomplete) collection of screenshots. That one struck me as too many different things in the same frame. It's impossible to settle your eyes on any one point, because everything is overlapping something else.

Not saying it's a bad area. Just that it's a poorly composed shot.

<screenshot snob goes away>

[Tarami]

I thought it was nice because it showed alot of LotRO's hi-res goodiness in a way that looked good as a still frame, not necessarily the best composition ever.

Otherwise I find that screenshots rarely make LotRO justice. Images emphasize the distance culling too much and it always sorta look a bit barren and don't put across that lush, pitoresque feeling you get when you're actually playing.

[Ard]

It's just a bad picture.  It's on the wrong side of the statue at ground level strictly so they could also show the towers, which makes the statue which is in the foreground look awful.

[Riggswolfe]

The amount of content really takes away all the pain from leveling. I can pick and choose the interesting quest lines, or if I'm not up for reading quest text, go for the quests with the fancy shinies. Without feeling a grind, the grass looks greener, and heck, I even feel the urge to explore. This is the first MMO I've ever played where I've seriously crafted (grinding ribbed shirts in SWG doesn't count).

So, gushing aside... Does a game ever make it out of the graveyard? Too soon?

This is a game that I feel deserves a resurrection out of the graveyard as well. Turbine has really turned it around since its launch!