The Lord Of The Rings Online Announces Mariner Class; River Hobbits Finally Coming With Update 37 |

System · June 2023

The Lord Of The Rings Online Announces Mariner Class; River Hobbits Finally Coming With Update 37 | MMORPG.com

The Lord of the Rings Online hosted a Q&A with executive producer Rob "Severlin" Ciccolini, where more details about the upcoming expansion set in Umbar including a new class, as well as when players can expect to see River Hobbits make their debut in the MMO.

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Sovrath · June 2023

o ... k? Sea Shanties?

ValdemarJ · June 2023

Sovrath said:

o ... k? Sea Shanties?

Viper482 · June 2023

Cactus_LFRez · June 2023

If I can't attack orcs with a fish I am going to be upset.

Sovrath · June 2023

The drawings for the hobbits look amazing. if only they could capture that feeling in game.

JeroKane · June 2023

Sovrath said:

The drawings for the hobbits look amazing. if only they could capture that feeling in game.

All they have are people that know how to use the Turbine Toolset. All they manage to do is re-use existing assets. That's it.
They just recolor some textures/models here and there for each expansion to make some stuff look different and that's it.
They haven't added anything really new to the game, because they don't know how to do it nor have people who have the skills how to do it.

The beorning class, for example, is just a mash from existing class assets and then they added the NPC bear model and it's attack animations to it for the Bear form. You don't see any transformation either. Just a bit of smoke and poof there is your bear.

This mariner class will just be a mash up between existing classes again, using assets from the Minstrel and music performing assets.

On top of that. They cannot even fix all the bugs, stuttering issues, etc that have been plaguing this game since the late Turbine years.
And the latest expansions have made some of these issues only worse!
Then the lead dev is so arrogant and has tried to do complete rework/revamps on existing systems no one asked for, making things even worse (as he has no clue and beware of anyone on their forums who try to criticize him). Only in benefit of their Cash Shop with more and more convenience items to counter it!

Ever since the game switched from Turbine to SSG, I have pretty much given up on the game and each year or two I tried to come back and it only takes me less than 30 minutes in the game to know why I quit, make me sad and log off and hit uninstall again.

Sovrath · June 2023

JeroKane said:

Sovrath said:

The drawings for the hobbits look amazing. if only they could capture that feeling in game.

All they have are people that know how to use the Turbine Toolset. All they manage to do is re-use existing assets. That's it.
They just recolor some textures/models here and there for each expansion to make some stuff look different and that's it.
They haven't added anything really new to the game, because they don't know how to do it nor have people who have the skills how to do it.

The beorning class, for example, is just a mash from existing class assets and then they added the NPC bear model and it's attack animations to it for the Bear form. You don't see any transformation either. Just a bit of smoke and poof there is your bear.

This mariner class will just be a mash up between existing classes again, using assets from the Minstrel and music performing assets.

On top of that. They cannot even fix all the bugs, stuttering issues, etc that have been plaguing this game since the late Turbine years.
And the latest expansions have made some of these issues only worse!
Then the lead dev is so arrogant and has tried to do complete rework/revamps on existing systems no one asked for, making things even worse (as he has no clue and beware of anyone on their forums who try to criticize him). Only in benefit of their Cash Shop with more and more convenience items to counter it!

Ever since the game switched from Turbine to SSG, I have pretty much given up on the game and each year or two I tried to come back and it only takes me less than 30 minutes in the game to know why I quit, make me sad and log off and hit uninstall again.

I think there's a reason they reuse assets and it has to do with what they can get away with "with" their game engine.

I remember an interview with a developer who was asked about having mobs roaming around from one area of the world to the other. They said that the assets accessed some sort of library for textures and colors and that there was only so much an area could hold.

Therefore they had to be mindful of what they put into each area. I might be getting the specifics wrong but the idea seemed that assets used a certain amount of textures and areas also had a limit.

Heck, this is true in Skryim. The Landscape can only have a certain amount of textures used in any given - for lack of a better word - "cell." If you use more than the limit you get odd black "burned" areas.

Even Black desert reuses meshes with their armor and npc's in certain areas.

As for going from Turbine to SSG I imagine it's a money issue. It's the same developers for the most part. The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons teams just moved down the hall (at the time) and started their own company.

JeroKane · June 2023

They don't have any developers anymore. Just one Lead dev (that has no deep knowledge of the engine, so hence none of the existing bugs/issues and most of the new introduced bugs, get fixed). Nor do they have any real artists!

It's not an engine issue, they simply don't have the competence in house anymore to design, create and implement anything really new to the game nor fix any of the problems the game has.

They are just good with working with the existing toolset, to make new content with existing assets and that's it.
And then overprice the hell out of it, when they release it!

But hey! I am not bitter or anything. I had some good years playing this game. Being part of a really big and super friendly Kinship (guild).
But that has long since died out and disbanded, so I don't know anyone anymore really still playing this game.
And like I said, the issues with the game that will never get fixed, I just cannot overlook. Especially the frame stuttering / lag is really driving me nuts every time I try out the game again. Which you cannot fix on your end!

DigDuggy · June 2023

I really wish that a new Lord of the Rings MMO would replace LOTRO. I've got to admit, though, they are still very much 'all in' from what I can see. For those who like the game, congrats.

Rockinw311 · June 2023

I don't wish for a new LotR MMO overall, starting from scratch, and all that entails, including risk of failure before it could come anywhere near to the level of content LOTRO has put out.

I do agree from what I've read/seen over time, that MANY of the issues are with the current engine, toolset, and developer base level of skill, knowledge, resource ability level, etc..

I don't think there's any way for LOTRO gameplay, visuals, etc. to improve within those confines. As long as that exists, the game is what it is. We can get new content, but only within those limits. That's better than nothing IMO, or LOTRO disappearing altogether

Instead, I'd love for some VERY SUPER smart people to be able to come in, take the code base from LOTRO, and get it to work with a brand new engine AND "toolset" that is on par with today's standards, and expandable for the future. They need to re-pot this LOTRO plant to a larger pot, with better soil, better sun, to let it grow, or it will forever remain stunted in its ability to grow

I realize that will never happen, even if it were possible. There's not money there to do it, a white knight to champion (YoshiP with ffxiv, Bezos with The Expanse) such an undertaking, and even if there were, I don't think there would be enough interest to ever make something like that worthwhile (i.e. profitable) to make it practical

Xoph · June 2023

Kinda.. weird. A Pirate class basically... feels out of place.

cheyane · June 2023

Curious about the skill set.

Scot · June 2023

Xoph said:

Kinda.. weird. A Pirate class basically... feels out of place.

Lorewise the Corsairs are the natural place for such a class but there are two issues, it should be race of "Men" only and some shanties are fine, but building a class round that seems odd. Mariner is spot on but this sounds a bit Minstrel.

1byte · June 2023

"For those wondering about what regions you might be traveling in during the Umbar expansion, I think the name makes one of them obvious,"

Dear Joseph,

Don't be a dick. I have no idea what regions one might travel to. You obviously are superior and think that only people with a deep knowledge of some random game will know what you are writing about.

Scot · June 2023

1byte said:

"For those wondering about what regions you might be traveling in during the Umbar expansion, I think the name makes one of them obvious,"

Dear Joseph,

Don't be a dick. I have no idea what regions one might travel to. You obviously are superior and think that only people with a deep knowledge of some random game will know what you are writing about.

What he is saying is that one of the regions will be Umbar, that's why its called that. So now you do have an idea, not that hard was it?

Lithuanian · June 2023

Mariner without a ship or naval combat is just...just...just nothing. And yes, we may alreaDy have thousands of Beornings in Helms deep. Thoudands of High Elves. Now, we will have thousands of Mariners...

There were Corsairs in Lotro. Pity, almost all of them were 'bad' and the only two 'good' ones sailed to pillahe other lands. I would really like seeing some 'goos Corsair' class.

Other changes are either un-needed (one more race, really? River hobbits, then what - swamp Hobbits, lake hobbits, near-to-ocean-hobbits, forest Hobbits, dung-pile-Hobbits....? Oh, make River-Dwarves, River-Elves, River-Men then! Because - why not?

Gorwe · June 2023

Mariner, excuse me? I never wanted this in LoTR. Now, Warhammer ... Sartosa, aye me capn sir!

Scot · June 2023

Lithuanian said:

Mariner without a ship or naval combat is just...just...just nothing. And yes, we may alreaDy have thousands of Beornings in Helms deep. Thoudands of High Elves. Now, we will have thousands of Mariners...

There were Corsairs in Lotro. Pity, almost all of them were 'bad' and the only two 'good' ones sailed to pillahe other lands. I would really like seeing some 'goos Corsair' class.

Other changes are either un-needed (one more race, really? River hobbits, then what - swamp Hobbits, lake hobbits, near-to-ocean-hobbits, forest Hobbits, dung-pile-Hobbits....? Oh, make River-Dwarves, River-Elves, River-Men then! Because - why not?

I would assume the Mariners don't have to be from Umbar, Men even from a landlocked country could be end up as Mariners, Rhun has a sea for example, or they gravitate to a port from another country.

Sovrath · June 2023

JeroKane said:

They don't have any developers anymore. Just one Lead dev (that has no deep knowledge of the engine, so hence none of the existing bugs/issues and most of the new introduced bugs, get fixed). Nor do they have any real artists!

how do you know this?

slowz2secret · June 2023

Sovrath said:

JeroKane said:

They don't have any developers anymore. Just one Lead dev (that has no deep knowledge of the engine, so hence none of the existing bugs/issues and most of the new introduced bugs, get fixed). Nor do they have any real artists!

how do you know this?

his cousing told him

winghaven1 · June 2023

this game is in such a mess and losing playercount every month. its a shame

Abimor · June 2023

I will always love lotro I made some great friends who i actually see and hang out. It has or had one of the most friendly unique communities in any game i have played also i played this a ton with my wife as my pocket healer. I have found it harder and harder to play lately I honestly don't know what would change that for me I am not excited for the new class, I am not really sure what would do it for me. I have liked some changes but also disliked some of the class changes I am really tired of the killing so many mobs for virtues.

JeroKane · June 2023

Sovrath said:

JeroKane said:

They don't have any developers anymore. Just one Lead dev (that has no deep knowledge of the engine, so hence none of the existing bugs/issues and most of the new introduced bugs, get fixed). Nor do they have any real artists!

how do you know this?

Because anyone that has been playing the game under SSG and visited their forums frequently knows this.

Second, the state of the game and the state/quality of (overpriced) content updates they added, pretty much affirms this too.

There are so many issues with the game. Most of these from stemming back when it was still under Turbine. Under SSG they only added more problems, introduced more bugs and created more issues they are unable to fix.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Gorwe · June 2023

LoTR:O is a beautiful game with excellent atmosphere that's sadly just not that fun. Still, every RPG fan should at least try it.

Sovrath · June 2023

Viper482 said:

That was awesome! Thanks! Saved to my youtube.

Looking forward to having hobbits sing it in the game.

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The Lord Of The Rings Online Announces Mariner Class; River Hobbits Finally Coming With Update 37 |

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The Lord Of The Rings Online Announces Mariner Class; River Hobbits Finally Coming With Update 37 |

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