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The Lord of the Rings Online

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Template:Future game

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
Developer(s)Turbine, Inc.
Publisher(s)Turbine, Inc., Midway Games, Codemasters
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseIn development
Genre(s)MMORPG
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LotRO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth during the time of The Lord of the Rings. It is being developed by Turbine and, while the release date has yet to be announced, is expected to launch in 2006. It was previously called Middle-Earth Online, and was a joint production with Vivendi Universal Games.

Setting

LotRO is set during The Fellowship of the Ring after Frodo and company leave The Shire. Players will be able to meet the characters from Tolkien's story, including some of the Fellowship. The four playable races will be Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and Men. LotRO is explicitly based on the books, not Peter Jackson's adaption in movie form.

Races

  • Humans
  • Elves
  • Dwarves
  • Hobbits

Classes

In a similar approach to many Massively-Multiplayer Online realms, Lord of the Rings Online will retain a class based system. It is not clear whether players will be able to have sub-skills or sub-fields within these classes, as the developers have remained silent to this effect. However, each of the separate seven classes apparent at launch have been revealed.

Champion
Races: Man, Elf, Dwarf

The Champion is a melee based combatant focused on offensive rather than defensive abilities, with the ability to deal large amounts of damage to single or multiple targets.

Guardian
Races: Man, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit

The Guardian is the typical defensive warrior, able to taunt monsters into attacking them over their more vulnerable teammates. It is mentioned that the most powerful attacks will be after making an opponent vulnerable, suggesting either several attacks based on either reacting to certain events or setting up combo style attacks.

Captain
Races: Man

Captain is primarily a support class, his strength lies in beneficial effects to his party. It is suggested that the Captain will have average personal combat ability.

Hunter
Races: Man, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit

Hunter is a ranged combatant, with powerful damaging abilities at range but very limited in close combat. The hunter will also have skills such as traps, and at least some group enhancing abilities.

Burglar
Races: Man, Hobbit

The Burglar is a group support character, with a variety of moves that weaken or expose an opponent, but little ability in and of himself to deal leathal damage. Presumably able to gain some form of stealth and open locked items.

Minstrel
Races: Man, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit

Almost soley a support character for groups, having benefietial songs to group members and possibly harmful songs for foes, the Minstrels combat abilities are unmentioned therefore presumed very low.

Lore-master
Races: Man, Elf

Lore-master is primarily a magic healer, able to cure wounds and maladies and likely able to enhance group members abilities. Their offensive magic will be rather limited and combat ability likely non-exsistant.

Setting

Eriador. Rumored expansion packs include the lands of Rhovanion, Rohan and Gondor.

Development

Sierra On-Line first announced the development of a licensed, Middle-earth MMORPG in 1998. This caused some excitement among fans, who were awaiting The Lord of the Rings movies, and was also slightly controversial for a few design decisions. The most debated design idea was the planned use of "permadeath": When a player character would die in the game, that character would be permanently dead (most MMORPGs resurrect a dead character with minor penalties). Sierra had financial troubles in 1999 and replaced the staff working on the game.

Sierra continued to confirm development on the MMORPG was progressing, but did not release any development details over the next few years. Vivendi Universal Games, the parent company of Sierra, secured eight-year rights to produce computer and video games based on The Lord of the Rings books in 2001. Finally, Vivendi announced an agreement with Turbine in 2003 to produce Middle-Earth Online (at that time expected to be released in 2004). In March 2005, Turbine announced that it had bought the rights to make massively multiplayer games based on Tolkien's literature and that Turbine will assume publishing duties on The Lord of the Rings Online from Vivendi. The release date was also delayed to 2006.

Facts

  • Some sort of PvP (though an alternative is being worked on)
  • Mainly PvE and storyline concentrated
  • Based on the The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit books, not on other Tolkien books or movies created based on them
  • A date for Beta testing has not been announced yet
  • 1st and 3rd person views available
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