Lord of the Rings Online: Beta Signup open.

[Alatar]

Beta Signup Now open:

For America

http://lotro.turbine.com/betasignup

And Europe

http://www.lotro-europe.com/beta-signup.php

[superwizard]

Yep I signed up

[Faramond]

But what is this?

[Alys]

It's a MMORPG (online game) like World of Warcraft but set in ME. The game isn't finished yet and they want players to help test it and iron out any bugs etc.

[truehobbit]

Ahh, ok - I was wondering, too! Thanks, Alys!

I wonder if it's any use to them if someone signs up who notoriously fails at mastering even the simplest computer games...

[Jnyusa]

That would be me, too.

<takes a pass on this one>

[yovargas]

I wonder if it's any use to them if someone signs up who notoriously fails at mastering even the simplest computer games...

Specially since MMORPGs are usually notoriously UNsimple computer games.

[Primula Baggins]

Too scary for the likes of me.

[Erunáme]

I'd like to learn, but learning with a beta version wouldn't be best.

[Faramond]

What sort of internet connection would I need? A fast one?

[Alatar]

You'd need Broadband, but nothing too speedy.

[Faramond]

Well, I don't have broadband, so never mind about that!

[truehobbit]

I like the word MMORPGs, though.

[Alys]

MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG

[Alatar]

Shamelessly nicked from the official forums!

Here's a list of links of useful downloads for various media from the game. Some of the following is subject to change as it is fairly old i.e the finished game may not reflect some of the following. I've marked what is old (pre-delay/license aquirement) and what is new (with date updated).

Video

* New (10/05/2006) * - E3 2006 Gameplay footage - In high definition.

* New (10/05/2006) * - LOTRO Trailer 3 - Viewable in different definitions and player types.

New (10/03/2006) - LOTRO Trailer 2 - Viewable in different definitions and player types.

New (02/09/2005) - PAX videos at the Arda Post - Contains an absolute ton of gameplay videos, with a writeup explaining them too.

New (02/09/2005) - LOTRO Gaming PAX video - Contains a small amount of LOTRO footage.

New (25/08/2005) - An animation of an Orc yelling

New (25/08/2005) - An animation of an Orc attacking with a halberd

New (26/05/2005) - LOTRO E3 Demo - Part 1, LOTRO E3 Demo - Part 2 - LOTRO OGaming's footage of the E3 2005 Demo

New (16/08/2005) - LOTRO Trailer 1 - High Definition

New (26/05/2005) - LOTRO Trailer 1

Last Updated: 21/05/2005 - LOTRO Trailer and E3 2005 gameplay footage - Click the five links with the E3 symbol beside them to view them, other older media is included here that can be considered inaccurate

New (19/05/2005) - Video of conjunctions in action - See a fighting technique unveiled at E3 2005

New (11/05/2005) - A few seconds of footage and concept art - Watch the video on the right for a few seconds of LOTRO footage and hear a few people talk about it

Old - E3 2003 demo - Members of the Dev team play the game and discuss it at E3 2003

Old - LOTRO Trailer - A trailer for the game released in 2003, incorporating some footage from the E3 2003 demo. Please note that since this trailer is fairly old, a lot may have changed from what you see here
It was composed primarily of the following movies:

Old E3 2003 Movie 1 - A man in the Shire (part 1)

Old - E3 2003 Movie 2 - A man in the Shire (part 2)

Old - E3 2003 Movie 3 - A man and a hobbit in a dungeon

Old - E3 2003 Movie 4 - A man in a dungeon (part 1)

Old - E3 2003 Movie 5 - A man in a dungeon (part 2) - includes a Balrog

Screenshots

* New (10/05/2006) * -

Code: Select all

http://www.thelordoftheringsonline.com/index.php?page_id=20&pagebuilder[module]=article&pagebuilder[display_item]=85

- LOTRO E3 2006 coverage screenshots - copy and paste link.

* New (10/05/2006) * - LotroSource's E3 2006 screenshots - LOTRO shots and general E3 shots.

New (25/04/2006) - Lotro-welten.de article's screenshots - Article itself is in german.

New (20/04/2006) - Gamespot article's screenshots - embedded in the article. Note that the information in this article may not be correct as a number of inaccuracies have been discovered.

New (20/04/2006) - Brandywine Bridge screenshot - Included in the "Exploring Middle Earth: The Brandywine Bridge" update.

New (07/03/2006) - PC Gamer Magazine screenshot

New (07/03/2006) - Computer Games Magazine screenshot

New (20/10/2005) - Barrow Downs screenshots - Included in the "Exploring Middle Earth: The Barrow Downs" update.

New (30/09/2005) - MMORPG.com Old Forest Screenshot.

New (29/09/2005) -

Code: Select all

http://www.thelordoftheringsonline.com/index.php?page_id=20&pagebuilder[module]=article&pagebuilder[display_item]=27

- Old Forest Screenshots - copy and paste link - Included in the "By Water, Wood and Hill" article.

New (26/05/2005) -

Code: Select all

http://www.thelordoftheringsonline.com/index.php?page_id=20&pagebuilder[module]=article&pagebuilder[display_item]=22

- Human Newbie Quest screenshots - copy and paste link - Included in the "Anatomy of a Quest Arc" article.

Last updated: 10/05/2006 - LOTRO official site's LOTRO screenshots.

Last updated: 20/04/2006 - GameSpot's LOTRO screenshots.

Last updated: 10/05/2005 - GameSpy's LOTRO screenshots.

Last updated: 20/10/2005 - ME Warcry's LOTRO screenshots.

Last updated: 15/08/2005 - LotroSource's LOTRO screenshots - includes this new screenshot.

Last updated: 15/08/2005 - LOTRO OGaming's LOTRO screenshots - includes this exclusive new screenshot.

Last updated: 02/06/2005 - The Arda Post's image gallery - includes non-LOTRO images by various artists.

Audio

* New (05/05/2006) * - Jeffrey Steefel podcast at MMORPG.com

New (28/07/2005) - The Prancing Pony Inn theme

Old - The Shire theme

Old - Moria theme

Old - Bree theme

Concept Art

* Last updated: 11/05/2006 * - LOTRO Official site concept art

(More in the Fan Site Kit below)

Wallpapers

Last updated: 01/12/2005 - LOTRO Official site wallpapers

* Last updated: 8/12/2005 * - The Arda Post's wallpapers

Screensavers

* Last updated: 01/12/2005 * - The Arda Post's screensavers

Avatars

* Last updated: 06/10/2005 * - LOTRO Official site avatars

Miscellaneous

Old - Turbine Nation 2004 - LotroSource's "Source Book" of all the information they could gather at Turbine Nation 2004, with some interviews also. Includes audio and video downloads. This is highly recommended, as it includes a walkthrough of an introductory part of the game.

Old - MEO Fan Site Kit - This kit was made by the developers for those wishing to build their own fan sites. It's getting on a bit, but has some nice logos, wallpapers and images.

Thanks to all sites who provide this content.

[superwizard]

Thx for that link Alatar!!
Now I want to ask everyone: iss anyone here following The E3 Expo??

PS: I know this has nothing to do with LOTR but I want to see if everone is interested before making a thread.

[Alatar]

I'm interested. Go for it!

[Alatar]

In case anyone's interested

Bucklebury Ferry

In the Eastfarthing of the Shire, adventurers will discover the River Baranduin, commonly referred to as the “Brandywine” by Hobbit-folk, flowing out from the Hills of Evendim far to the north. One of the often-used crossings of this large and slow-moving river is The Bucklebury Ferry, located in the eastern lands of the Shire, connecting The Marish on the western banks to Buckland on the eastern side. The Bucklebury Ferry is a simple arrangement of wooden landings (one on either side) and a small boat running between the two. In these dark days, however, the boat has gone missing, perhaps pulled from the water to protect against intruders, or simply abandoned to drift down the Brandywine to places unknown. Travelers in this land may need to find a more suitable place to ford the broad waters or consider heading to the Brandywine Bridge (also known as the Bridge of Stonebows), not far upriver to the north.

Designing the Bucklebury Ferry and other familiar landmarks along Frodo’s journey is one of the most exciting, and daunting, challenges for the Turbine design team. Following the path of the Hobbits out of the Shire, and indeed the entire route of the Fellowship of the Ring, will no doubt be a fan-favorite in LOTRO, so special care has been taken to ensure accuracy at every step along the way. From the whitewashed stones lining the road leading to Ferry, to the twinkling lights of Brandy Hall on the far banks, this crossing, from the initial conceptual drawings, through to its final modeling in 3D for the game, has been designed to be as true as possible to the location as described in the source material. Players may want to follow the lead of Frodo and his companions and remember that this location provides an excellent opportunity to leave pursuing Black Riders behind.

[superwizard]

Following the path of the Hobbits out of the Shire, and indeed the entire route of the Fellowship of the Ring, will no doubt be a fan-favorite in LOTRO, so special care has been taken to ensure accuracy at every step along the way.

That's good to hear

[yovargas]

Either of you get in the beta?