We recently asked players what they’d ask the dev team if they had the chance. The response was fantastic! While we can’t answer every question (there were hundreds!) we did put together a representative group and here’s what our devs had to say…
Q1: Will you ever have an experience eliminator/on-off switch? - Justin Viskoc
A: Since we’ve already done some work on an experience disabler, I’d say the odds are real good J. It’s not 100% polished yet and until it is, here also is the standard fine print line that there is no commitment implied here as to when it will see the light of day. - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
Q2: Do you find the job as fun as you had hoped? - JonPaul Carney
A: I had no hopes or expectations coming into the job because the door opened for me unexpectedly. That being said, I love working on LOTRO, love love, love it. I just got back from vacation and really missed being at work. It’s still work, and it’s very stressful, but I could not be happier with how I spend my time. - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
Q3: Art director: Do you have any job openings in the 3D art department? - Heather Hughes
A: We’re pretty well staffed up at the moment, but opportunities are always arising. Keep your eyes on the Turbine Jobs page! - Todd Demille, Art Director
Q4: What has been a memorable or favorite part of developing LOTRO that you'd like to share? - Shane Kelly
A: I think my favorite part of developing LOTRO is one that repeats fairly often: it’s when I work hard on a piece of content to the point where I feel proud of it ( uncertain of whether or not it’s actually good)…Soon after, I log into the game the day something goes live and play it, and watch many other people play it. That’s extremely rewarding (especially when I don’t find bugs or have a terrible experience). All the newer designers we’ve hired this year have also been very happy and excited to play their content live for the first time. There’s nothing quite like that feeling of putting a ton of effort into making something that other people actually get to experience in a game. - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
Q5: For anyone: which part of Middle-earth has been the most fun to develop? Which area(s) do you look forward to developing the most? - Thomas Delano
A: There’s been no one place that’s been the most fun. Every part of the world gives us new, fun things to develop. For Forochel, we were able to create landscapes and peoples totally new to most people’s experience in Middle-earth. Moria gave us huger interiors than we ever thought possible, and the challenge of expanding Dwarf culture while exploring all kinds of different cave and dungeon environments. Lórien was beautiful and intricate, while Dol Guldur and Isengard were brutal but no less complex. And Rohan’s a whole new thing, with wide-open spaces and a populated kingdom with a well-established culture that’s integral to Tolkien’s story, and part of Fangorn to boot. Yeah, try and pick just one from that bunch. - Chris Pierson, Staff Designer
Q6: Why don't creeps have a storyline ??? - Jason Andrew
A: It’s a difficult task to express the a meaningful story arc for a creature that is spawned from pure evil for the sole purpose of pillaging and maiming all that is good and pure. There’s only so many ways “Kill the Free People!” can be expressed. If you are asking why Creeps don’t have a traditional leveling experience, that’s because being a Creep is about PvP. We want you to be able to join the PvP battle the moment you enter the world. - Jared "Kelsan" Pruett
Q7: Were you more influenced by the books or the films, when creating LOTRO? - Ann Smiley
A: I’m more influenced by the books, which I still read fairly often. However, I do find it difficult to “forget” memorable scenes from the movies – like when trying to think about Treebeard’s character, for example. In the movies, he saw the hobbits, scooped them up, called them “Little orcs” and was very menacing; this is how I remember him at first, because that scene was hard to forget. In the books, he appeared suddenly behind them and said that he followed them because he liked the sound of their nice little voices. Sometimes the movies drown out the books, so I keep reading them to refresh my memories of characters who are portrayed differently in each. - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
Q8: What type of development methodology does Turbine use, and how is that methodology shaped by working on an MMO as opposed to other types of games? - Denny Vaccaro
A: We use an adapted scrum methodology with different agile teams. Each team is focused on a set of features or a goal, and lets us balance short and long term objectives. We balance supporting a live game, building features and updates for the “near” term (next 3 months or so), and looking forward to our next big set of expansion technology. - Aaron “Rowan” Campbell, Senior Producer
Q9: Will you add some new hobbies in future ? - Kristína Vančíková
A: I keep trying to get them to add my favorite… stamp collecting… but no takers so far. Actually, that’s not true at all. I don’t collect stamps. What is true is that we have soooo many things we talk about and want to add, enhance, and expand. But, we have these manager types and they make us prioritize ‘cause, well, that’s their job. So no additional hobbies so far and I think we’re all going to be pretty busy with Rohan and all the parts that go with it for the next little while. - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
Q10: Do you actually play the game in your own time, or is LOTRO just a job? - Aaron McNeal
A: LOTRO was my first MMO! I’ve tried others since, but this is the one I keep going back to. I have a 75 minstrel, 75 lore-master, 67 rune-keeper, 53 hunter, 30something burglar, and a 20something captain. Occasionally I get sick of the game because I can’t be in the LOTRO world without feeling stress about something going on at work, but I always come back and get re-addicted. - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
A2: I’ve played MMOs for more than a dozen years and LOTRO is the one I’ve stuck with the longest. I’ve been a player since beta and an employee since just before Moria released. LOTRO is still my #1 MMO, though work and other commitments tend to eat into more of my play time than they used to.
In general, I think you’d be surprised at how many people at Turbine play LOTRO on a regular basis. – Rick “Sapience” Heaton, Community Manager
Q11: I'd ask why we do not have the ability to send more than 1 item via ingame mail. It gets awfully tedious mailing one thing at a time. - Michelle Nichols
A: Multi-attachment mail is a feature that we have actively discussed. One reason that it hasn’t been prioritized is that we have other methods that players can user to transfer many items at a time from one character to another. If the characters are alts on the same account, then Account Storage is a useful solution. If players belong to the same group or kinship, then housing storage can work well. Finally, there is the Trade UI. - N. Sitkoff, Lead Engineer
Q12: Will you add solo option to (scalable) instances? - Jani Sjöblom
A: Skirmishes are our current solution to this request. Creating satisfying solo instances that present a measure of challenge is an extremely difficult endeavor due to a multitude of reasons: inherent class imbalances in solo situations in regard to damage and survivability, gear differential between two equivalent level characters is amplified in solo only situations, and the extremely vast bell curve of individual skill and ability at playing the game. Attempting to resolve any of those issues quickly ends up in a land of very large amounts of work. Tailoring to each class to remove that variable means building 9 times as many instances for example. We designed skirmishes with the soldier in large measure to use as a balancing tool to help flatten the playing field and the differential between classes and gear. It’s not something that we’ll say will never happen, who knows what the future holds and what bright idea is around the corner, but for now, with our knowledge of the challenges and our current solutions to them, this isn’t on the plate. - Joe “JWBarry” Barry, Senior Designer
Q13: Why haven't you revamped PvMP? – Jenna Hughes
A: This is kind of a loaded question, but I’ll make an attempt. This really comes down to what you consider a ‘revamp’ and what timeframe you expect said ‘revamp’ to occur in. Revising an established system without potentially destroying what made it enjoyable to begin with is no simple undertaking and requires that we put careful consideration into each revision. Essentially taking baby steps towards our ultimate goal: create a fun PvP zone where players can engage in both small and large scale skirmishes of their choosing.
Over the last two years we’ve taken steps to strengthen the foundations of PvMP through Creep class rebalancing, introduction of new advancement rewards, and the addition of a PvMP Currency and Stat that allows us to create a ‘seasonal’ mechanic in the Ettenmoors. More revisions are coming to further drive forward our goals. - Jared "Kelsan" Pruett
Q14: Any plans to update/revise the game engine given improvements/advancements in other games over the last few years. to being able to introduce new features or gameplay mechanics to lotro? - Mike Belcher
A: With every major update we seek to make improvements to core gameplay mechanics and introduce new features. We have several improvements of this kind in store for our Riders of Rohan XPack. The most important of these is Mounted Combat itself, in which players and monsters exchange powerful blows while moving at high speed. - N. Sitkoff, Lead Engineer
Q15: Is it possible to introduce "Dynamic Events" as part of the experience?! - Rodney Caruana
A: Making the world feel more alive and responsive to players is always a goal and something we continue to take steps forward on. While a full blown dynamic events system in the lines of Rift’s rifts or GW2 upcoming events system is something we’re looking at, we have been paying close attention to both of those games and their systems, how they work, what they do, and particularly what parts of them it makes sense to incorporate into Middle-earth. - Joe “JWBarry” Barry, Senior Designer
Q16: Why did you add 'jiggle physics' to weapons like bows and great swords? It just looks goofy. - Aaron Kuehmichel
A: Jiggle bones are a fantastic technology solution with many uses, but I don’t count making bows and great swords more goofy among the most compelling of them. This bug has made its way through tech art to engineering. The forecast is non-jiggly weapons on the horizon. - Todd Demille, Art Director
Q17: Why didn't u use the film's orchestra for the game also, was it too expensive :l? - Kel Torres Coloma
A: At Turbine we have in-house composers, along with a great collaborator in Chance Thomas. For Riders of Rohan we’ll be bringing back a full orchestral soundtrack for the game! It sounds great and completes the atmosphere. - Aaron “Rowan” Campbell, Senior Producer
Q18: How are the landscapes modeled? - Mirek Vasko
A: We use a variety of tools to model landscape, starting with a couple third-party terrain modelers for the larger-scale heightmap based on existing maps of the world, then importing into our own tools for polish and detail work (and, often, some fairly major retooling). On top of that, the world and art teams work together to develop new terrain textures, frills, and biome objects like rocks, trees, and bushes that are coded into scenefiles that world can “paint” onto the landscape (and which get tweaked repeatedly throughout development). Major bodies of water get added early, when the terrain is first shaped, but smaller streams and ponds are added (and sometimes removed) throughout a region’s development. And then, once the initial “paintdown” is completed, World sets about adding camps, social hubs, and other POIs as well as wandering monsters, resources, travel routes, and on and on. - Chris Pierson, Staff Designer
Q19: Why doesn't the captain class have Elvish heralds? - Justin Duncan
A: Elves are lackeys to no Man. - Jared "Kelsan" Pruett
Q20: @Graalx2: Got any awesome plans for us Guardians? - Ian Panzer
A: Yes. - Graalx2
Q21: Will we be able to somehow get the soundtrack? I LOVE the music in this game. A lot. - Helene Hannon
A: We’ve made the soundtrack available a few times in the past both as digital download and as an extra in the Mines of Moria collector’s edition. With Chance Thomas on board to score the Rider’s of Rohan expansion we’re definitely interested in making the music available again.- Rick “Sapience” Heaton, Community Manager
Q22: Will you just include the areas visited in the books/films or will you expand into other areas of Middle Earth at appear on maps and are talked about but not directly visited by the heroes? eg : Harondor, Dol Amroth, Pelargir etc - Christian Letschka
A: Absolutely. While we’re excited to develop Rohan and Gondor we’re always looking for opportunities to explore some of the other less known locations in Middle Earth. Take a look at Angmar, Enedwaith, and Dol Guldur as some earlier examples of how we’ve strayed from the path of the fellowship. - Derek Flippo, Lead Designer
Q23: Will you take any of our suggestions into consideration? :P - Fëanáro Nénmacil
A: Constantly! But if I tried to recognize everyone who contributed I’d run out of room… - Aaron “Rowan” Campbell, Senior Producer
A2: If you dig around on the Official LOTRO forums you’ll run across a few posts that list some of the player suggestions that we’ve incorporated into the game over the years. It’s a pretty long list! Maybe it’s time for another one? – Rick “Sapience” Heaton, Community Manager
Q24: How cool has it been to work on this game? I mean bringing Tolkien's work to life must have been so much fun! - Blake Roberson
A: It’s been amazing since the beginning. Sometimes I feel like I’m too lucky to have this job that makes me feel so creatively fulfilled, and I have to remember to stop and appreciate how fortunate I’ve been in my career. Lord of the Rings is probably my favorite book, and I can’t think of a single author I respect more than Tolkien. I feel very lucky to work on a game that develops a world set in one of the best stories ever written. - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
Q25: When is the Pre-Order Info for RoR be available? - Miguel Rock
A: Incredisoon™! No, seriously. Very soon. Have you seen all those great images we’ve been tweeting and posting on Facebook? They all seem to be leading up to something… – Rick “Sapience” Heaton, Community Manager
Q26: Hi Lotro, Could you please give us the ability to save our trait at Bards? - Ahmed AbdulHadi
A: We think saving configurations is something that could indeed be pretty cool. - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
Q27: Can I also add I'd like to see much more support for female dwarves - we are the most marginalised group of players. I'm fed up of NPC's calling me "he" and I want pretty ribbons for my beard. - Lisa Roberts
A: I’m not sure if I can give you a satisfying answer here…they’re not present in the books or the movies, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be appearing in the game. But who knows? - Lauren “Budgeford” Salk, Designer
Q28: Why can't I shoot my bow from mounted position? - William Wood
A: You can’t?? Weird, I can. I was just doing that this morning. Oh wait, I work on LOTRO. Oops. . The good news that you might be happy to hear is that the new mounted combat system coming with the Riders of Rohan Expansion pack will allow you to do just that (that’s assuming you play a class that can use a bow)! - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
Q29: Can we have bigger or more bags? - Sonya Faust
A: More bag space excites me too! I keep everything! - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
A2: If you check your UI, you might notice a little hint in there about bag space and Riders of Rohan. – Rick “Sapience” Heaton, Community Manager
Q30: Are you guys going to make areas beyond Mordor eventually? - Riders of the Ruin
A: Eventually is a long, long time! For now we’re focusing on developing Rohan with our longer range content design discussions touching on Helm’s Deep and Gondor. Those should provide us with enough development challenges for the foreseeable future. - Derek Flippo, Lead Designer
Q31: I personally just want to know who the Dev characters are. Seems like no one knows them. - Tristan Arnold
A: That’s because we’re standing right next to you! Devs play the game constantly, but we do so as regular players… just like you. - Aaron “Rowan” Campbell, Senior Producer
Q32: I don't know who to ask specifically, but why hasn't housing been seriously revamped? People with inactive subscriptions take up almost entire neighborhoods, the worst problem is that you have to pay rather high rent for years, which is OK if you are a hardcore gamer, but many if not most of us are casual so it adds up....and the hooks are an issue, at least add more to the houses. They look great at least, but they've been needing some work since the beginning. - Stephanie Coughran Alexander
A: Housing is an interesting topic around here. It is another one of those things that we talk about. We sometimes have to make hard choices about priorities… (But we do talk about this one a lot!) - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director
Q33: What were you thinking? - John Roach
A: That I have no idea how I ended up here. - Derek Flippo, Lead Designer
Source :
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/feature-articles/2054-community-qaa-june-1-2012