Lord of the Rings Online: From Novel to MMO

Stradden · February 2007

Managing Editor Jon Wood recently had the chance to sit down with Jeff Anderson, the President and CEO of Turbine Inc. In this, the first part of a two part interview, Jon and Jeff discuss the process of taking an epic work like JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and turning it into a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.

For anyone who might not be aware, Turbine currently holds the rights to two major Intellectual Property (IP) games, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach which launched almost a year ago, and now the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO). Creating a game based on a well known IP isn't the easy, slam-dunk that you might expect. A great deal of time and care has to be put into the creation of the game, and, as Jeff told me, it creates multiple commitments and priorities for the developers. First, there is the priority of making a good, solid MMORPG. Next, you have to be careful to stay true to whatever the IP happens to be. In the case of my conversation with Jeff, the task that falls to him is more daunting than most. To re-create the world of Middle-Earth, a place that J.R.R. Tolkien brought to the individual imaginations of over 200 million readers making it, according to Jeff, "without a doubt, one of the most widely read books on the entire planet".

The purpose of Friday's interview was to get to the root of what exactly it takes to move something from the page onto the grand stage of an MMORPG.

Read the whole article here.

You can also view our ten new exclusive screenshots here.

Endemondia · February 2007

a masterful and more insightful article - thankyou. It confirms my opinion that the best elements of WoW (large free roaming world with solo option) are being mixed with the best elements of D&D online (combat system still remains the best one available for an mmorgp).

dj_decay · February 2007

Well written, I can't wait to hear more about monster play and other aspects of the game. I've already got my pre-order box sitting on my computer, I'm just waiting for March!!!

boinged · February 2007

"Over 300 hours of gameplay" may sound like a lot but I put over 1800 in to Ryzom and more recently 370+ in Auto Assault which I class as playing casually alongside a few other MMOs. My gaming time per week varies between 20 to 30 hours - so at best I've got about 3 months of play out of LOTRO. I'm a bit worried about the longevity of this title - we know that expansion packs are planned but how often are they going to be released?

I'm a big fan of the LOTRO PVP system and will no doubt play a lot of that so get more than my 300 hours questing but this isn't a big PVP game so what about the larger subscriber base?

What do you do when you reach max-level (which will surely be well before the 300 hour mark) and don't want to PVE?

What do you do when you've done all the quests on your long-ago maxed out character?

I'm not even hardcore - some people play 70-100 hours per week!

Ralsar · February 2007

Monster play is a blast. You can choose from several different monsters and there is a whole set of quests that are a mix of solo, group and raid style. You fight for control of various different points of interest on the map against the Good heroes. Your monsters start at level 50 but still advance through rank, skills and such. And you don't have to wait until end game to play a monster. You get to start monster play once your main character reaches level 10

boinged · February 2007

Lol lots of people have bent the NDA a little but that's a bit much!

Brehon35 · February 2007

Originally posted by boinged

Lol lots of people have bent the NDA a little but that's a bit much!

Actually, Turbine lifted the NDA as of today. So all of us beta testers are allowed to yak to our hearts content.

Bacchuss · February 2007

Good article it had a good point of veiw and a couple of good points. Not a lot of new information. I am still deciding if I will play this game or not.

boinged · February 2007

Ah just saw it. So what do you want to know?

Unknown · February 2007

I'm really buying into the LOTRO game as of now, whit out even having tested the game as of yet. However my belief with MMOs is that the players, and combined the community, should be able to change the story line/the world in some way. I haven't read up on all the previews out there, but is this possible in LOTRO or is the game as WoW where the characters are restrained by the game world rather than giving their separate input into it (like for example in EVE or Ryzom)?

Sovrath · February 2007

Originally posted by Nolite

I'm really buying into the LOTRO game as of now, whit out even having tested the game as of yet. However my belief with MMOs is that the players, and combined the community, should be able to change the story line/the world in some way. I haven't read up on all the previews out there, but is this possible in LOTRO or is the game as WoW where the characters are restrained by the game world rather than giving their separate input into it (like for example in EVE or Ryzom)?

No, you cannot change the story.

In this mmo you basically "live" during the time of the war of the ring. The story is already written. If you are a roleplayer then sure you can add your own bits. But since the Lord of the Rings is written there is nothing to change.

Drevar · February 2007

From the interview:

"Jeff explained to me that while Tolkein’s world was fairly well planned out, the Hobbits for example, are not generally the adventuring type. He explained that Tolkien built into his stories the idea of "exceptional" characters within each of the races. These are people who often defy the norm and are all the more special for it. Every player, I am told, will be one of these people and right from the very beginning, they will become involved in a story that gives them their own, interesting destiny beyond that of Sam, Frodo, Gandalf and the others. "

Unfortunately this is one of the weaknesses of the game world for me. Yes you can follow the main plot quest series, but it is hardly "your own, interesting destiny", as everyone else will also be doing the same quest line in the same order for the same rewards with the same outcome. This primary quest line tries too hard to make you "The Hero" and even if the quests are fun or whatever, it totally clashes with your knowledge that everyone else has done the same thing as you. Hell, some people might have done it weeks ago, and yet nothing has changed when you finally come along.

LOTRO is very much not a sandbox type game. In short order you will have done everything that everyone else has done or will do.

Drev

Odysses · February 2007

That is one of the blessings and curses of having such great lore and a story to build the game around. You have to play within the paramaters of the story. So the game won't be as sandboxy as other MMORPG's where the players really affect the course of the game. But one thing LoTRO has going for it is alot of content to be added through expansions that all should be of the same high quality of the launch game. This will be a game that has legs that keep it going as long as any MMORPG on the market and EQ, UO and AC are going on 8 or 9 years now I think.

Vallenar · February 2007

This game is really shaping up well for true fantasy fans, not just Tolkien fans, but anyone who loves a good fantasy based story.

I hope the next article MMORPG does though isn't just about the story of this world, which is impressive and the reason why I will be playing it, but I'm sick of reading the same kind of article from every on-line review source.

I really hope we can get an article on the Accomplishment, Traits, Titles, and Monster Play systems. I think these four things really make LoTRO stand out but they are getting overlooked because every gaming reporter wants to talk about the IP. Let's please get past the same blah, blah, blah stuff we have heard before.

My concern, like most post WoW MMO's, this game is being given a label.

For example:

Vanguard = Hard Core Player and Buggy

DDO= Group Play and instances

LoTRO = Role Players dream

While these lables are correct, I'm not disputing that, I think there are more to each of these games as they develop.

So let's move past the obvious and get to the real meat and bones of this game and some of the other MMO's out there shall we?

Cerion · February 2007

Originally posted by boinged

"Over 300 hours of gameplay" may sound like a lot but I put over 1800 in to Ryzom and more recently 370+ in Auto Assault which I class as playing casually alongside a few other MMOs. My gaming time per week varies between 20 to 30 hours - so at best I've got about 3 months of play out of LOTRO. I'm a bit worried about the longevity of this title - we know that expansion packs are planned but how often are they going to be released?

I'm a big fan of the LOTRO PVP system and will no doubt play a lot of that so get more than my 300 hours questing but this isn't a big PVP game so what about the larger subscriber base?

What do you do when you reach max-level (which will surely be well before the 300 hour mark) and don't want to PVE?

What do you do when you've done all the quests on your long-ago maxed out character?

I'm not even hardcore - some people play 70-100 hours per week!

First of all, 20-30 hours a week is hardly casual play. 300 hours of play will take the true casual player (10 -15) around 6 months to consume. That's quite a long time. And Turbine is known for its content updates that come frequently. In those 6 months, I'd be willing to bet Turbine will have a least two content updates. Since they have a highly polished game, that means little to no down time to fix basic game functionality or bugs--this leaves more time for them to hit the gate running so to speak.

Secondly, PvP is a niche market and does not constitue the 'larger subscriber base.' The largest subscriber base is the casual gamer, which WoW tapped into in spades. If you're worried about maxing out your character, here's a thought: don't max out your character. I know it's hard for some to grasp. Play casually. Spend time with your family, see a movie, maybe even study for your college courses (there's a shock, eh?). The fact that some people let these games consume their lives is not Turbines fault, nor should it be their concern.

Cerion · February 2007

Originally posted by Drevar

From the interview:
"Jeff explained to me that while Tolkein’s world was fairly well planned out, the Hobbits for example, are not generally the adventuring type. He explained that Tolkien built into his stories the idea of "exceptional" characters within each of the races. These are people who often defy the norm and are all the more special for it. Every player, I am told, will be one of these people and right from the very beginning, they will become involved in a story that gives them their own, interesting destiny beyond that of Sam, Frodo, Gandalf and the others. "
Unfortunately this is one of the weaknesses of the game world for me. Yes you can follow the main plot quest series, but it is hardly "your own, interesting destiny", as everyone else will also be doing the same quest line in the same order for the same rewards with the same outcome. This primary quest line tries too hard to make you "The Hero" and even if the quests are fun or whatever, it totally clashes with your knowledge that everyone else has done the same thing as you. Hell, some people might have done it weeks ago, and yet nothing has changed when you finally come along.
LOTRO is very much not a sandbox type game. In short order you will have done everything that everyone else has done or will do.

Drev

I really don't understand this arguement against quests. In EQ, I got my paladin epic just like thousands of other paladins, in the same way as thousands of other paladins. Our group finished the 10th Coldain Ring quest just like everyone else did hundreds of times before us.

Big f'ing deal. My knowledge in EQ did not lessen the fantastic fun I had, nor lessen the immersion of it. The same holds true with LOTRO. As a matter of fact, Baldur's Gate, KoTOR, OBLIVION, and dozens of single player games are quite successful at offering quests that put you at the center of the story. Do I care that thousands of other players have purchased the game and go through nearly the same plot? Hell no. Just because I play an MMO, I should now suddenly care that other people have done the same quest? Why? It makes no sense unless one is in an e-peen comparing contest, or one's ego is so brittle that it cannot stand to share the spotlight.

DemonOvrlord · February 2007

I don't envy Turbine having to compare against the visuals of the movie. Say what you want about the plot changes but the sets and props were exquisite.

Thony · February 2007

Originally posted by Nolite

I'm really buying into the LOTRO game as of now, whit out even having tested the game as of yet. However my belief with MMOs is that the players, and combined the community, should be able to change the story line/the world in some way. I haven't read up on all the previews out there, but is this possible in LOTRO or is the game as WoW where the characters are restrained by the game world rather than giving their separate input into it (like for example in EVE or Ryzom)?

You are right if LotrO was stamped a MMORPG, but its a MMO wich is just a Mass version of regular online game, but in the case of LotrO it is done very nicely and you get right sucked into the story (that is if people planning to spend some time reading the quests afcourse) In that LotrO and WOW are similair, But i feel that LotrO goes beyond WOW , graphic details, animation details, world details go well beyond those of WOW, WOW did look good but not as good as LotrO does if people try to compare the two. If you want to try a MMORPG then i would say try Vanguard

(if people's system can handle the game and if people understand that not one mmorpg was solid at its release then its a truly awesome game)

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Lord of the Rings Online: From Novel to MMO

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