Lord of the Rings - Beta Signups

[Broughden]

Beta isn't play.

Besides, free > pay.

True and it will give us more material for fodder. hee hee

[Margalis]

A Female!

Well if LOTRO fails at least they've got a head start on a Veronica Mars game.

[Broughden]

[Interviewer]: So we hear you are shooting for a November release date. Is that to increase sales due to Christmas?
[Anderson]: Yes.
[Interviewer]: But not having started Beta yet, what if that runs over? Or you need more time for finishing touches?
[Anderson]: We release it anyway, bugs and all. Come on its Lord of the Rings!!!!1!1
[Interviewer]: .....

[Sairon]

European signup worked for me earlier, but I was already a code m member, if that's what causing you trouble Sairon you could try the main codemasters site www.codemasters.co.uk

LOTRO offers amazing potential for comedy, tolkien geeks mixing with mmo players on voice chat, I can't wait.

Signed up from work, worked better. 

[VickeVire]

I did a European signup

[5150]

I did a European signup

Ditto

[Azazel]

I just signed up and while I was there read some of the forums. My word there are some deranged people there.

Best to not read them, I think.

[5150]

I just signed up and while I was there read some of the forums. My word there are some deranged people there.

Best to not read them, I think.

Perhaps this is more to your taste?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1752017962119496176&q=hobbits

[Oban]

I just signed up and while I was there read some of the forums. My word there are some deranged people there.

Best to not read them, I think.

Perhaps this is more to your taste?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1752017962119496176&q=hobbits

Nerf Ranger-Bards.

[Xanthippe]

I hope the naming conventions are loose.  So that people can have the same names.

I want to see 100 Legolas running around, instead of Leggolas, Legolass, Legollas, Llegolas, ....

[Lt.Dan]

Perhaps this is more to your taste?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1752017962119496176&q=hobbits

I wouldn't be surprised if that went to #1 in the UK

[VickeVire]

What's this Legolas business? If you want to be a "known" character there is only one worth to play and "they" got 2 names...

[Arthur_Parker]

Download 7 megs of game play footage

[Margalis]

So um...it's the MMO version of DDO?

Seriously. It looks like the exact same camera/control, same combat, same (awful tinny) sound effects.

[HaemishM]

Download 7 megs of game play footage

Those are the exact same sound effects as DDO (the combat sounds). The music in one part even sounds like the tavern music from DDO. And yes, the combat looked a bit like it too.

At least the interface was better. Or smaller I should say.

[Tale]

I haven't played DDO. I watched that LOTRO E3 movie and thought "this is a total WoW clone". I mean seriously, the interface, the low spec cartoony graphics, the gold ring above the quest mob's head, the animations, the red circle around the base of a combat target. WoW didn't invent any of those things, but LOTRO's versions are obviously designed to allow WoW players a seamless switch.

And that's a good move. Blizzard's lore is derivative drivel, so that's a terrific weakness to exploit: play WoW, except it's in fucking Middle Earth, not some cheesy pseudo-fantasy sitcom. It's also dangerous: to pull it off, Turbine will have to out-slick Blizzard's production values. And that's fucking hard.

[El Gallo]

Show some respect for the District of Columbia, Turbine! 

[Toast]

There is a whole recruiting class of WoW players that are going to need MMOs pretty soon. Millions of players are experiencing this genre for the first time, and, for better or worse, it hooks players long term. When the content in WoW finally wears thin, people will be looking for the next fix, and a WoW clone will be very convenient. Smart move.

[Murgos]

I liked the gameplay footage.  It actually showed a game.  I've certainly seen enough MMO's by now to appreciate when there is at least some resemblance to a game there.  The devil is in the details of course and having the appearance of a game doesn't mean there actually is one.

It did look an awful lot like WoW, but I also just watched the Vanguard footage and that looked more like EQ 1 than LotR looks like WoW.  I'll take WoW over EQ 1 any day.

[Chenghiz]

I don't really have high hopes for the game, but seeing the footage, it looks like it could at least be fun. I like how the characters interacted with the fire, getting clothes caught on fire and such. Adds a nice touch of realism to it.

[Soln]

I'll bite, since I missed DDO and went in without research.

I put in f13.net.  BTW, thought we had more ppl in Bat Country on Steamfont in EQ2.  Not active I expect.

[Signe]

Ages ago I removed people who had quit EQ2 from Bat Country because it was easier to do the guildy stuff with less people.  Of course, if they decided to renew they'd be right back in, if they wanted.  I recently cancelled but I'll come back eventually... I think. There didn't seem to be much left to Bat Country, actually.   Feel free to remove me for the same reasons, though.  If there are no more people left with that sort of permissions, I can resub and promote people (I had promoted a few before I left) and any other stuff you want.  Sorry about that. 

I guess I should say something about LOTRO so as not to totally derail...

Yay!

[Soln]

what happened to this?  has anyone gotten an invite?

[Signe]

I don't know.  I had pre-ordered it and EB pulled it and sent me Battle for Middle Earth instead.  Dumbasses.  When I called to sort it out, they could no longer find LOTRO in their database and no seemed to know why.  It just poofed.  Now they have the $49 regular box scheluled to ship in Novemeber and the $59 special ed. shipping in January '07.  Nothing official, of course, just retailer guesstimates.  Every so often you'll see a wee blurb on MMORPG.com but I get no email from anyone about it and even Cal doesn't talk about it.  Maybe something has gone horribly wrong?

[HaemishM]

Maybe something has gone horribly wrong?

You mean like alpha has started?

I kid, I kid.  :-D

[WindupAtheist]

You mean like they realized that despite having the LOTR license their game has about as much buzz/interest going for it as fucking Whamadoodles, so now they're sitting around paralyzed with fear, shitting in their pants, and bitterly lamenting all that "We want to compete with Blizzard!" talk they were spewing months ago?

[Calandryll]

We haven't sent any invites out. Nothing has gone wrong. :)

We're still updating the site twice or more a week with new content about the game and invites will go out some time in the summer as scheduled.

[Morfiend]

I signed up used "f13.net" since thats what the big man told us to use. Also I put 200+ cause there is more than 200 of us on this site, and damnit, we love each other.

[Soukyan]

We haven't sent any invites out. Nothing has gone wrong. :)

We're still updating the site twice or more a week with new content about the game and invites will go out some time in the summer as scheduled.

A clue!

[Flood]

Signed up and got my registration auth'd as an "f13.net" guild member, yadda yadda.

[Venkman]

Did anyone else have trouble with the word verification graphic? I swear I tried that thing 8 times before it recognized. I think I kept confusing the uppercase H for a W or vice versa.

Just wondering.

And yea, anyone else do a select all on the Games Played? I'd think given the state of the genre that list should have an open text box next to it for the dozens of other titles out there, and perhaps a stipulation that "played" means for more than 10 hours total (which would immediately cut off Lineage 2 and FFXI from my list).

Edit: Just realized this was like a month ago... behind the 8-ball again...

[Righ]

If you select more than 80% of the games as having been played, it should make a ding sound and let you select from a list of less popular games. By the time you hit level five, they should just ask for your credit card numbers and provide an address that you can send your car and house keys.

[schild]

A Female!

Well if LOTRO fails at least they've got a head start on a Veronica Mars game.

I'd play that.

[Venkman]

If you select more than 80% of the games as having been played, it should make a ding sound and let you select from a list of less popular games. By the time you hit level five, they should just ask for your credit card numbers and provide an address that you can send your car and house keys.

If you select more than 80% of the games, you probably should be immediately disqualified. :)

They don't need experts in LoTRO. They need new blood with expectations of a completely different sort.

Not saying I'd turn down an invite if it happened though ;)

[schild]

Whenever I join a beta these days, I do the following. Check the little boxes next to Everquest and "Other" and write in The Realm.

That's funny to me.