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Lord of the Rings Online: The Outfit System and Barbershops
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Turbine has released a new internal Dev Journal on the Outfit System and the Barbershops that will be introduced in the upcoming free update, Book 12.
In addition to bringing you the Month of the Guardian, the Month of the Burglar, the Month of the Champion, the Ettendeep, and Angmar Revisited, Book 12: The Ashen Wastes will also go down in history as introducing The Month of Avatar Customization - as we like to call these things here at Turbine.
Now, you might be asking yourself: "Why on Middle-earth would the devs be focusing on avatar customization when they've still got Mordor to build?!"
Well, anecdotally speaking, I can't recall a single Dev Chat (and as everyone who's had to wait while I typed up an answer knows, I've done a lot of them) where someone hasn't asked for additional character customization options. In fact, the request for just an option to toggle your shoulder armour off and on has come up in every one of our last 5 European Dev Chats (big shout-out to our Codemasters players here!).
We can take a hint, so we got to work.
But, we're not just giving you the option to toggle your shoulder (and glove) armour in Book 12 -- no, we're giving you more. Much more!
Book 12 introduces two brand new Avatar Customization features to LOTRO: The Outfit System, and Barbershops.
Here are the details:
Read it all here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
This is just awesome guys! I feel like I am getting a ton of love this chapter because my main is a guardian, my alt is a burgler, I love to RP, and I spend a lot of time in Angmar. You are packing so much into this book.
More than any other game, it feels like my subscription fees are put to good use. Not only that, but I locked into the $9.99 per month subscription fee. So without a doubt, this is the best value per buck for any mmo I have ever played.
Keep up the great work.
AGREED to above !
LOTRO is roleplayers choice MMO. And Turbine is as always - spot on!
This is what we wanted , this is what we got !
Thanks Turbine !!!!
I've gotta admit, these are a lot of really positive changes to the game. I will probably have to pick this up again this weekend.
I will say though the "outfit" system seems very similar to some other games. But it looks much more refined here so they get kuddos for that.
Now we wait and see how Bliz responds lol.
Anyway, GW Turbine, keep it up!
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Bartle Test Breakdown: Achiever 20.00%, Explorer 86.67%, Killer 26.67%, Socializer 66.67%
Ahm... dont want to burst the bubble of turbine's super creativity, BUT...
Barbershops were introduced to EQ2 well over a year ago- they allow you to recustomise your charater appearance with new hairstyles, hair colours and various facial options- things like jewlery for some races, and glassess and whatnot for the other).
Appearance tabs (or how imaginatively turbine has called them "Outfits"), have been in EQ2 for little less then half a year i believe- opening up a seperate appearance tabs to put on top of your "stated gear' with the motto: Look as you like, while keeping the gear bonuses you want.
Anyway, both systems are incredibly fun, and i believe should be a part of any standard MMO- so i am glad LOTRO players got a chance to experience it.
Just dont forget- Turbine didnt think of those- they recyled them from other games just like most of the LOTRO mechanics anyway
This update will bring me back to Lotro for sometime, huzzah!
Well I'd have to say that I am actualy impressed, which seems to be hard to do these days MMO wise.
I don't care how "original" the ideas are, the goal which they are after, and are succeeding at, is improving this game. They're taking into count the roleplaying community (which IMO should always be a main focus point, perticularly if it's based on a book. This effects the immersion for everyone as players who choose to loose themselves in the world draw just as much if not more depth as any lore, quests, or creative NPC interactions ever do).
I'm glad for their community and wish them many good times ahead.
Top Ten Most Misused Words/Phrases in MMO Industry...
nice to see turbine adding some old tech to their game. eq, ryzom and a few others introduced these features a couple years back, still, in order to keep subs you have to steal ideas (or is that borrow?) in order to survive. good for LOTR.
can you smell that?!!...............there is nothing quite like it.....................the smell of troll in the morning............i love that smell.
Yay, now I can look exactly the way I want as I run around in a world where no one interacts beyond guild chat.
Well done Turbine.
It doesn't matter if other games have similar things. The more MMORPGS who put in excellent RP elements like this, the more they will become standards that ALL games will be pushed to have or else seem lacking.
Ive been waiting for the Outfit system for some time
The backpack definitely is a nice element! I can finally make the exploring minstrel I wanted
Luckily they are making sure that LeggoLassXX now can change their looks..
Later
Anyone know whem Book 12 comes out?
Actually they did, because most of these options and the whole gameplay was invented for Asheron's Call 2 by Turbine using the same engine.
REALITY CHECK
Maybe I'm reading this wrong but...
It sounds like in order to take advantage of the outfit system, you still have to have all of the crap for your separate outfits in your inventory, right?
If so, that's a lot of uneccesary clogging of inventory space just to have a couple of different outfits.
It's exactly like eq2. Same level requirement and everything. I dig this game though I must say!
Very nice. This seems like a fantastic addition to the game and makes it more of a contender for people who don't like to look like morons because of equipment restrictions.
But why level 20? How long does it take to get to level 20? Seems like a long time.
This is a great update, but the article on this website doesn't include any of the explanitory screenshots, go to http://www.thelordoftheringsonline.com/article/487 for that!
Considering the density and dispersal of rpers across the server I dont know if it really matters if they make a RP server officially. Theres just to many of them. If you made a official server it would practically be crammed in a matter of minutes. All I cant about is I can make my Vagabond finally!
I stopped playing LotRO a few months back, as i'm not huge on alts, and i started to run out of things to do with my main. I do really like the game though, and the more books i see added the more i think of coming back. Give it a few more books, or the first major area expansion, and i can definitely see myself coming back to Middle Earth. Turbine really are doing a great job with the updates.
it took me only 2-3 days each for all of my 5 chars to get to L20
I played the closed Beta and left shortly after launch because I thought I'd seen it all by playing through the game several times. Recently (out of sheer boredom and disgust with all the other MMO's out there and the failure of the games by the two dinosaurs...McQuaid and Garriott) I came back and boy have things changed. I am extremely impressed with the polish they put on the game after launch. The game has attracted quite a community too, with the exception of the weekend crowd (you know who you are) everyone is really pretty helpful and polite..at least on Brandywine. It's really quite a game. Plus it is truly amazing all the free content that 's added on a regular basis. Content that some other MMO's would never dream of adding w/o charging for an expansion.