Lord of the Rings Online Sneak Peek

One of the anticipated LotR titles is Lord of the Rings Online, the early beta demo we received from Jeffrey S at the Turbine booth during E3 was an excellent indication of the steps the developers are making to ensure that a fun and functional LotR MMO is presented to the world.

Character development is based on race and racial region, as well as a 'class' choice providing direction for the player to develop in. Skill development and attribute advancement are both based on race, with minor adjustments made by sub-region for the race chosen (ie, a human from the farmlands, is definitely not the same warrior as a son of royalty, or one hobbit region is better at thievery than another, etc). The skill set resulting is a prefabricated one based on the racial and sub selections made at time of player creation.

In our walk through we were introduced to the questing system and newbie areas for the game. The newbie quest and zone is a public instance allowing new players to learn and interact in relative safety. It also presents the storyline drive and interactive NPC's for the questing system. Many of the regular 'boring' quests have been updated to reflect a storyline reason behind it, and often an NPC interaction (or action) required to complete it. This provides a better populated world feel to early players, and certainly doesn't hurt game ambience.

Finally the combat engine is similar to most Turbine games, physics rules allow for party layout in a strategic fashion (healers and casters in the back, tanks up front, etc...) with a new and fun addition, similar to the EQ2 Heroic Opportunity, players can now instigate or finish a combat combo move requiring two or more players to execute, and resulting in a damage dealing move with an enhanced area graphics effect, and of course much more damage than a normal combat move.

Game Info

Welcome to Middle-Earth! The amazing world of J.R.R. Tolkien comes to life as never before in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. For the first time ever, players can explore this living world online. This first title in the series spans legendary Eriador - including the pastoral Shire, the Elven enclave of Rivendell, rustic Bree, and more. As the lands of Middle-Earth fall under a growing threat from the dark realm of Angmar only the mightiest of deeds and the stoutest of hearts can halt the advance of Sauron’s minions.

Epic adventures punctuated with strategic combat combine to create a unique experience where your actions visibly affect the state of the world. Become a legendary hero as you live the adventure loved by millions in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar!

Features:

• Be a hero:
Show the world your mettle and risk your life to protect all the Free-peoples. Combine class, race, traits and experience to create your own unique character. Forge your Fellowship and struggle together against evil with other adventurers in your campaign across Eriador. Work as a team leveraging your diverse talents, skill-sets and classes to gain strategic advantage.
• Evolving world:
Unique instancing technology allows every player to make their mark within the world. Save a Hobbit village, clear a Dwarven mine, purify an Elven glade – the power is in your hands to change the fate of entire realms.
• Choose your lineage:
Follow in the footsteps of your favorite Tolkien hero. Choose one of Middle-earth’s signature races of Human, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits. Mark your own place in history.
• Unlock the secrets of Middle-earth:
Working directly with Tolkien Enterprises, Turbine has crafted an experience directly from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Explore the pastoral Shire, roam the eerie Barrow Downs, visit elegant Rivendell, walk beneath the dark canopy of the Old Forest, adventure to the depths of Moria and discover many other locations fully realized from The Fellowship of the Ring™.
• Classic characters:
The faithful recreation of Middle-earth is populated with familiar friends and corrupt foes. Join in the battle against Orcs, Trolls, Spiders, Barrow Wights and the Nazgűl. Meet Elrond, Tom Bombadil, Bilbo, the Dúnedain and even members of the Fellowship itself.
• Intense combat:
Combat in Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar grows in intensity as you master your skills and gain strategic advantage. Combine your efforts into devastating compound attacks. The game rewards those who join forces through an exciting combo system that amplifies the effectiveness of groups and fellowships.

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Sean "TheDemon" Driskel - May 2005