 | Tuesday, 27 Mar, 2007 - Lord of the Rings Online Vault News |  |
 | |  | | | Sticky: One Million to be Invited on LOTRO World Tour
Print News
Over 1,000,000 Players To Be Invited To Free "World Tour of Middle-earth" For The Lord of the Rings Online (TM)
One of the Largest North American MMO Pre-Launch Events Ever Scheduled to Begin On April 6th!
WESTWOOD, MA and CHICAGO, IL - March 27, 2007 -- Turbine, Inc. and Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) announced a massive, free "World Tour of Middle-earth" available to players throughout North America. Over one million players are planned to be invited into The Lord of the Rings Online (TM): Shadows of Angmar (TM), the most complete and authentic massively multiplayer online (MMO) world based upon the famous Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The World Tour of Middle-earth is scheduled to begin on April 6th and continue until the anticipated launch of the game on April 24th.
"We decided to launch the World Tour of Middle-earth because of the overwhelming demand from players to get into the closed beta," said Jeffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "We expect the World Tour of Middle-earth to be a spectacular event like nothing that you've ever seen before."
Free access to this hotly anticipated game combined with the staggering size and scale of the World Tour of Middle-earth make this an unprecedented event in the MMO industry. Players can pre-order the game at select retail stores nationwide or at www.lotro.com/preorder and start their adventures in Middle-earth beginning on March 30th.
Advancement in the game will be capped at level 15 which will give players a great opportunity to experience the most authentic online persistent recreation of Middle-earth ever created. Players should visit www.lotro.com/worldtour to get more information on how to obtain a World Tour key.
The Lord of the Rings Online is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game based upon the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The game recreates the vast world of Middle-earth with incredible dedication to the lore with an unprecedented level of detail. The game delivers an experience that takes players beyond the Books to where they can create their own story within the most famous fantasy world of all time. For more information, please visit www.lotro.com.
-- Loktofeit @ 11:51AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
Sticky: Announcement: IP Blocking Removed
Print News
From the official boards...
Hello everyone,
Throughout the Alpha and Beta phases of development, we have worked hard to satisfy the enthusiastic community that has risen up in support of LOTRO. We listened to and incorporated your ideas many times throughout development and our game is now stronger for it. As we prepare for launch we wanted to let you know that your feedback still matters. We have been listening and will continue to do so in the future.
Recently, some players expressed their concern about our plans to implement IP blocking. After listening to our fans, we have decided to remove IP blocking in North America.
However, we strongly encourage players to purchase and play the game in their region to receive the best game experience, connectivity and local customer support. Please note that regional clients are only operable with their respective regional services.
In closing, we would like to thank the players for your feedback. Your honest input has been invaluable to us throughout development. We are always listening to your feedback.
Enjoy Middle-earth!
Link: IP Blocking Removed
-- Loktofeit @ 11:51AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
Sticky: A Day at Turbine HQ
Print News
I had the opportunity to head up north to spend some time with the crew at Turbine. We got in some game time, went over some of the things we can look forward to seeing, and discussed a few current topics and issues regarding LOTRO. "It started like any other Friday, except for the waking up in Massachusetts and spending the day at Turbine part. I started my morning by heading outside to enjoy the crisp cool March air - something of a novelty for those of us from Florida. It was meet and greet time for the crew heading to Turbine - Wanderer of HGM, Jonathan Wood of MMORPG.com, Delmar from Warcry, and myself. Adam Mersky, Turbine�s Director of Communications, picked us up and whisked us off to the magical world of Turbine HQ." Link: A Day at Turbine HQ
-- Loktofeit @ 11:51AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
World Tour, Boars, and More!
Print News | Category: Community - General
Greetings!
It�s only Tuesday, but we�re already having a very busy week here on The Lord of the Rings Online. Last night marked our �End of Closed Beta� party, a night full of fun and mayhem. The Beta servers were taken down this morning at 9 AM Eastern, as we prepare for the exciting arrival of our Open Beta! Pre-order customers will gain Open Beta access this Friday, March 30.
Today we posted four new Creature profiles on the LOTRO Creatures page of our website:
Creatures of Middle-earth: Stone-trolls, Huorns, Boars, and Bears!
http://lotro.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=67&siid;=13
We�ve also opened up a new section of the website in preparation for Open Beta � The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM �World Tour!�:
Join the World Tour and Play Free
Join the World Tour of Middle-earth today for your free preview of The Lord of the Rings Online before the official launch on April 24th.
http://www.lotro.com/worldtour
Here, players can obtain a key for the public Open Beta, which begins on April 6. Open Beta keys can also be found in the latest copy of PC Gamer, along with an installation DVD. For more details, visit http://lotro.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=119.
There�s much more in store this week, so stay tuned!
Regards,
Lorien "Ramen" Carney, Community Relations Specialist
-- Loktofeit @ 11:51AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
LotRO Music Video: Dust in the Wind by Zeebo323
Print News | Category: General - Community
Our community member and very talented musician Zeebo submitted a jaw dropping video of the LotRO built in music system, featuring the song "Dust in the Wind".
If I was you, I would hurry to our video section to check it out, it's really amazing!
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:23AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
Warders of the Weald Party Pics
Print News | Category: General - Community
Our local reporter, MeanKeenLurikeen, posted a few pictures from the Warders of the Weald party at the Party Tree near Hobbiton, in The Shire.
Check them out in our screenshot gallery.
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:17AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
Poll of the Week - 3/27/2007
Print News | Category: Site News
This week's poll is simple and straightforward. With Closed Beta now behind us, the time draws near.Open Beta Fast Approaches... Are You Ready?
- Do hobbitses eat Po-Tay-Toes?
- No... this burden is too much to carry.
- Um... what? I'm voting for the 1st choice, and my only problem with the next 3 days is I don't have anything to play... got any suggestions? Place your vote, and tell us what you're doing to pass the next few days !
-- jobildo @ 3:45AM Tue 27 Mar 2007
 | |  | |  | | Monday, 26 Mar, 2007 | |
| | | | | Schedule for the End of CLosed Beta
Print News | Category: Community
Ghilin_MacAlister reposted Patience schedule on the week's Closed/Open Beta for VN Board readers:
Schedule for the End of Closed Beta
Monday, March 26:
From 7:00PM - 10:00PM EDT, Turbine admins will be on Brandywine and Meneldor with surprises for the players. (Hint: Bring Minstrels. Lots and lots of Minstrels.)
Tuesday, March 27:
LOTRO game servers will go dark in the morning and will remain closed until Friday. All player characters will be wiped.
Wednesday, March 28:
Beta forums: The beta forums will be brought down in the morning. Accounts created on the Beta forums and associated with either Pre-order or Beta keys will be preserved. All other accounts will be wiped.
Live forums: The live forums (currently located at http://www.lotro.com/forums) will be brought down in the late afternoon, and will not come back up.
If there are any posts which you feel should be saved and/or reposted on the new forums, this is the time to save them!
After March 28th, the beta.lotro.com forums address will no longer be valid, and http://forums.lotro.com will be the link to the only set of official forums. Only Pre-order customers and beta players will be able to post on the public forums. If you had a Closed Beta, Open Beta, or Pre-order account on the beta forums, you will be able to log in and use this account.
Wednesday - Thursday, March 28-29:
The forums will be open to beta players.
Friday, March 30:
Servers go live and Open Beta begins for Pre-order customers! See you in Middle-earth!
Link: Ghilin_MacAlister's Post on the week's Closed/Open Beta Schedule
Thanks, Ghilin!
-- Loktofeit @ 1:16PM Mon 26 Mar 2007
THC (Total Harmonic Chaos) launches new website and forums.
Print News | Category: General - Community
THC has opened it's website and forums for public viewing. Having established their online community 2 years ago the new THC forums have opened specifically for LOTRO before the open beta is to begin in order to welcome the LOTRO community to their home.
Check out the THC website for detailed information on their kinship, history and what the THC community is all about. You can also find them in the Kinship Watcher. Come and introduce yourself today to this warm loving community.
-- The_Korrigan @ 9:58AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
New Tolkien book to be on the shelves on April 17: The Children of Hurin
Print News | Category: General - Community
 The Children of Hurin, an unfinished book J.R.R. Tolkien began in 1918, and that his son, Christopher Tolkien, spent 30 years to complete from the many drafts his father left behind, will finally hit the shelves of our favorite book stores April 17. 2007.
According to the publisher, it's "an epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and heroism", in the pure Tolkien tradition.
The book is illustrated by the well known Tolkien inspired artist Alan Lee, who also won an Oscar directing the art for Peter Jackson's "The Return of the King".
Source: Yahoo! News.
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:39AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
Pre-order Packs in Stores throughout Europe NOW
Print News | Category: General
Time to pack the bags and move to Middle-Earth for Europeans too, Codemasters has announced that the pre-order packs are now available in retail shops.
For more info, visit the European Lord of the Rings Online site
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:25AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
Developer Diary Video: Crafting
Print News | Category: General
Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer, explains how crafting works, how it is accessible to everybody and how it is rewarded in the Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
Download the video.
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:04AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
Eight New Forums Added - Class and Profession
Print News | Category: Site News
Our list of LOTRO Boards has grown to include the following:- Professions Board
- Burglar Class Board
- Captain Class Board
- Champion Class Board
- Guardian Class Board
- Hunter Class Board
- Loremaster Class Board
- Minstrel Class Board Link: General Board Thread by Nyxxie
-- Loktofeit @ 7:20AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
Topic of the Week - 3/25/2007
Print News | Category: Site News - General
This week's topic goes hand in hand with the fever pitch that is building. Check it out:We're almost there, guys! Well, those of us who pre-ordered are. In just a few days, we'll all be able to play in Middle-Earth for keeps. That leads me to this week's topic. What are your guys' plans for Open Beta when it begins this Friday? Me? I'm headed home with wings on my feet Friday after work, tossing my wallet and keys on the nightstand, and then retreating into my office for a marathon run as my dwarven Champion. I've already warned my wife that my attention won't be available for the weekend, and instead her husband will be replaced by a hollow husk of a man on a mission to rid Angmar of the evils lurking there. She said, "Whatever." Oh, the love she harbors for me. How about you folks? What's the first thing you're going to do when the flood gates open? Well, what will you be doing? Tell us on the boards!
-- jobildo @ 3:41AM Mon 26 Mar 2007
| | | | | | Sunday, 25 Mar, 2007 | |
| | | | | Tobold on... LOTRO PvP
Print News | Category: General
Tobold's latest blog, "LotRO monster play - the new way to PvP" discusses MosnterPlay."Lord of the Rings Online is by no means "a PvP game". There won't be much real PvP action before enough people hit the level cap of 50. But at that point the Ettenmoors could become as good as the DAoC RvR zones, with raids taking and re-taking castles. I like it." He covers a lot of the basics of MP, from the things to do in the Ettenmoors to info on destiny points in his blog/preview of LOTRO's PvP system, MonsterPlay.
Link: Tobold's Blog - LotRO Monster Play
-- Loktofeit @ 5:36PM Sun 25 Mar 2007
| | | | | | Friday, 23 Mar, 2007 | |
| | | | | LOTRO Vault - Weekly Recap
Print News | Category: General - Site News
 Both the staff and the fans have been very active once again this week on our LotRO Vault!
First of all, two new message boards have been added to the site:
LotR Online: Kinship Recruitment Board New! - Kinship (Guild) Recruitment BoardLotR Online: Community Board New! - LotR Online: Community Off Topic Board On the official side, Turbine added a new article to their series on game mechanics, talking about the Traits in LotRO, and also published their policy concerning International Game Access.
Our weekly Kinship News Report, a feature of our Kinship Watcher program, highlights all news, events and media created by or related to Kinships. Your kinship recruits? You are organizing an event on your server? Your guild is the first to have killed that terrible monster which was threatening the Free People of Middle-Earth? Let us know!
We also have the announcement of an End of Beta event by the Warders of the Weald, and the creation of an AC Friend's LOTRO Kinship!
Another interesting read came from Tobold's MMORPG Blog, this time talking about LOTRO population numbers.
On the Staff side, we have:
Topic of the Week #15: The Married Life.Reports and videos of last week's Rivendell Run by Seridove and JoBildo.The second installment of KalSeth's LOL comic: The Quest.JoBildo's Corner: Games: More Human than Human.MeanKeenLurikeen's Weekly Forums Digest 03/22. This week also saw a massive influx of videos!
The RPG Vault published a series of exclusive videos, "Tolkien Moments": Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.There's of course Seridove's video of last week's Rivendell Run.Board member CowTippingMike released his first two LotRO fan videos: LotRO Tribute Video and Mike's LotRO Video.The first batch of four videos from another fan, Tricerium, are also available for your viewing pleasure. That's it for this eventful week, I wish you all an excellent week end!
-- The_Korrigan @ 8:36AM Fri 23 Mar 2007
ACF Creating a Community Kinship
Print News | Category: General
If you are interested in joining a Kinship with other members of the VN Community, the folks over on the ACFreinds boards started an Official ACF LOTRO Kinship Information thread.
From the post:
Anyone who is interested in joining the 'ACF' Kinship Please post here.
We are thinking Brandywine as the Server..., we need to decide who will start the kinship and who will put in the time for officers and that junk. I am more than willing to step up and Lead the Kinship if that is what you guys wish. Link: Official ACF LOTRO Kinship Information
-- Loktofeit @ 5:43AM Fri 23 Mar 2007
| | | | | | Thursday, 22 Mar, 2007 | |
| | | | | Tricerium Videos - Part 1
Print News | Category: General
Tricerium, a LOTRO fan and gameplay movie maker, has sent us some very nice videos, exploring various parts of Middle-Earth and highlighting some of the awesome features of the game's graphic engine.
The first part of the videos is available in our community video section right now!
Remember that you can become tomorrow's Lord of the Rings Online Spielberg or Lucas, and we will be more than happy to provide hosting for your LOTRO fan videos!
-- The_Korrigan @ 3:13PM Thu 22 Mar 2007
Weekly Forums Digest 03/22
Print News | Category: Community
This week's LOTRO Forum Digest is up!
A great week for the LOTRO forum community has come and gone. If you happened to be one of the few not browsing the boards then you're in luck! The LOTRO Forum Digest is up and ready for your viewing pleasure. This week the forums were flooded with topics on the recent International Community split, character choices, Gaming marriages, last minute ideas for implementation, and more. Enjoy!
- Keen
Link: LOTRO Weekly Forums Digest - 03/22/2007
-- MeanKeenLurikeen @ 10:30AM Thu 22 Mar 2007
JoBildo's Corner - Games: More Human than Human
Print News | Category: Site News
A little while back, I was hunting for anything of interest to read during some downtime at the day job. I came across Raph Koster's Keynote from Game Developers Conference of 2005. He was one of the driving forces behind Ultima Online, which is still going strong today nearly 10 years after its launch. Here's an excerpt of what he said that day:
"All media are for entertainment. Art and entertainment are terms of intensity, not terms of type. The difference between Cheers, Friends, and a medieval morality play are NOT THAT BIG. They are predictable. They are for reassurance, they are building cognitive schemata through repetition - seven seasons worth - and then sometimes you get Lolita. That makes us nervous. It's challenging. It breaks the routine. As long as we as designers and developers come into the process knowing everything our games say, games will be doomed as mere entertainment. We have to make something like Lolita. Schindler�s list. Catcher in the Rye. That's the sign of a mature medium, a game that makes you think 'I don't quite know what this might mean..'."
Continue reading JoBildo's column here!
-- Seridove @ 7:07AM Thu 22 Mar 2007
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