Game is set in wierd timeline

Rattrap

I was a bit confused about timeline in which LOTRO is set.

So after reading about it, i in time period "Just after Frodo left the shire , with the ring"

Ok. I understand that.

Most of the people only familiar with Lord of the rings books , and especially with movies - will find this time very recognisable.

Here is the wierd problem

Time passed since Frodo left the shire to defeat of Sauron and 5th age , is around 1 year.

What will happen when LOTRO will exist over 1 year ? Also there is really active war going on at this time. And it can go either way. But not stand still. Or the game itself will seem frozen in time. What of expansions? If they push timeline by one year it will reach time of peace, where all evil left middle earth.

I dont know.

I thought setting the game in period After "The Hobbit" but before "LOTR" would be much smarter. It is very long period where evil was just emerging , and many smaller , but significant battles were fought (more mmo style) - and than perhaps branch out with expansion that touches LOTR timeline.

 

 

Ralsar

Days go by but the story timeline doesn't progress. 



You move forward in the storyline when you do the epic/storyline quests.  So if you finish all the quests in a month you'll be at the point in time when Frodo has arrived at Rivendale.  If you spend a year finishing all the quests you'll still be at the same time.

The amount of time the servers have been up doesn't affect the timeline of the storyline.  So if a new person starts playing two years from now he'll still start at the time when Frodo first leaves the Shire.

Rattrap

Exactly,

Isnt it wierd ?

severius

The timeline moves along as you progress through the story line quests, the "chapter" quests. 



What may be problematic is that around the time that Frodo and Sam seperate from the fellowship it is my understanding that Saruman starts tightening the noose around the shire.  When they release the expansions to boost the timeline that far will they add another shire instance like the differences between pre-burnt archet and post-burned archet?  Or are they just gonna skip that and do everything they can so that you dont go back to the shire :P

nightbird305

I remember reading in one of those "more about lotro" books from the author of lord of the rings wrote. It mentions that Sauron was nothing more then a servant of a bigger and more evil being, and that Sauron was just one of a couple of other servants. So yeah, maybe have this master guy come into LOTRO later on ? could be awesome

Taniquetil

Originally posted by nightbird305


I remember reading in one of those "more about lotro" books from the author of lord of the rings wrote. It mentions that Sauron was nothing more then a servant of a bigger and more evil being, and that Sauron was just one of a couple of other servants. So yeah, maybe have this master guy come into LOTRO later on ? could be awesome

That would be good but I don't think they'll do it , the bigger bad guy (Morgoth/Melkor) is banished into a void by the "gods" of  the world - don't think he can come back. Plus the Tolkienites would have a fit probably. 

Kyleran

I always got the impression that Sauron could never really be totally defeated...that like a bad penny he'll keep coming back..

Also, while they started with middle earth, its hardly a middle earth simulator and one day they could take the game "past" the lore and into a storyline not written by Tolken.

Herasy? Maybe...but not beyond comprehension...

severius

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Wrath



That will give you a good amount of the background about Melkor, who was the dark power you mentioned



This would have been fantastic for a 4th or even 5th age tale had turbine wanted to go with more of a sand box game.  I believe turbine is looking to base the success of it's game with people and events that are known to not just hardcore Middle Earth fans but to casual fans that maybe never read the books or have any clue what a Numenorean is, let alone an Ainur or a Valar 



If you are at all interested pick up the Silmarillion.  It was put together from the notes that Christopher put together after his father's death.  The most interesting part of it is that it seems to be more in depth of a history book than any of the real history books we studied in school lol.

severius

Originally posted by Kyleran


I always got the impression that Sauron could never really be totally defeated...that like a bad penny he'll keep coming back..
Also, while they started with middle earth, its hardly a middle earth simulator and one day they could take the game "past" the lore and into a storyline not written by Tolken.
Herasy? Maybe...but not beyond comprehension...

I know myself and a good number of the testers I had gotten to know through the rough early betas of LOTRO had been begging Turbine to correct the error of their ways and go with a 4th age type story (after the destruction of the ring and the passage of the elves).  Glad they didnt though because although the game isnt groundbreaking it has turned out to be a very well done game overall.

Grindalyx

Originally posted by severius

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Wrath



That will give you a good amount of the background about Melkor, who was the dark power you mentioned



This would have been fantastic for a 4th or even 5th age tale had turbine wanted to go with more of a sand box game.  I believe turbine is looking to base the success of it's game with people and events that are known to not just hardcore Middle Earth fans but to casual fans that maybe never read the books or have any clue what a Numenorean is, let alone an Ainur or a Valar 



If you are at all interested pick up the Silmarillion.  It was put together from the notes that Christopher put together after his father's death.  The most interesting part of it is that it seems to be more in depth of a history book than any of the real history books we studied in school lol.

Christopher tolkein did not put together the silmarillion from his fathers notes. His father started writing the silmarillion during world war 1. He kept working on it up until he died and was never completed it. Christopher edited it for publication that is all. The reason why it is a more indepth history of middle earth is cause it covers the time from how middle earth was created to the coming of the elves, how dwarves came about, the coming of men. Not a 1 year time frame like Lotr does.

At one point JRR Tolkien had wanted the silmarillion and LOTR published together. I believe you can find in the silmarillion a note he wrote to a would be publisher. My point is the silmarillion was written by JRR tolkien not put together from his notes by his son. Though his son in editing the silmarillion used his fathers notes that he left in the manuscript to make any relevent changes he thought his father would of made that is all.

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Fargol

Originally posted by Rattrap


Exactly,
Isnt it wierd ?

Why is it weird? Time progression of that nature never occurs in MMO's. It can't possibly.

Ruthgar

Turbine only has the rights for the The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.



I assume that there will be  expansions that move the game forward to the death of Saruman.



There is plenty of content that can be added before we get to The Two Towers.



I don't see anything weird with the timeline. As you progress through the Chapter Quests you move forward in a timeline.

Rattrap

Originally posted by Fargol

Originally posted by Rattrap


Exactly,
Isnt it wierd ?

Why is it weird? Time progression of that nature never occurs in MMO's. It can't possibly.



I dont know for any RPG in which time is standing still. It is illogical and wierd.

It is like that film "Grandhog Day" - when the guy was living the same day over and over again.



The sun sets , night comes. And than it dawns again. And a day passes. You plant seeds, chop woods. Kill monsters , sleep. But time stands still !

Twillight Zone in Middle Earth !

dragonace

Originally posted by Rattrap

Originally posted by Fargol

Originally posted by Rattrap


Exactly,
Isnt it wierd ?

Why is it weird? Time progression of that nature never occurs in MMO's. It can't possibly.



I dont know for any RPG in which time is standing still. It is illogical and wierd.

It is like that film "Grandhog Day" - when the guy was living the same day over and over again.



The sun sets , night comes. And than it dawns again. And a day passes. You plant seeds, chop woods. Kill monsters , sleep. But time stands still !

Twillight Zone in Middle Earth ! Pretty much all of the fantasy setting MMO's don't really progress, as far as time is concerned.



EQ & EQ2: There are many quest lines that foretell of an impending gnoll invasion - it never happens.  Even though YEARS of real-time go by.



DaoC:  No side really wins even though they have been conquered many times.



WoW: New lands are added, new races, etc.  But, the old quests and story-line is still there as well.  So, what has time really changed?



Well, you get the point.  It's pretty tough for a MMO to drastically change the story-line that the game begins in (yeah, yeah, SWG doesn't really count - I was there too ). 



If they constantly progress the story-line along then it would make sense if some races were eliminated, or moved their starting towns, quests would have to be removed, NPC's permanently killed off, etc. 



Basically, A LOT more work would be needed to make the MMO age.  So, while it could in theory be done, it would require a lot more work and money to the extent it seems like you are expecting. (Not to say I wouldn't think it was neat as well.)

Khalathwyr

Originally posted by Rattrap

Originally posted by Fargol

Originally posted by Rattrap


Exactly,
Isnt it wierd ?

Why is it weird? Time progression of that nature never occurs in MMO's. It can't possibly.



I dont know for any RPG in which time is standing still. It is illogical and wierd.

It is like that film "Grandhog Day" - when the guy was living the same day over and over again.



The sun sets , night comes. And than it dawns again. And a day passes. You plant seeds, chop woods. Kill monsters , sleep. But time stands still !

Twillight Zone in Middle Earth !

Not really. I mean, consider. If time did advance then our characters would have to grow old and die. Now how much more logical is that considering most characters die a few times in a month or two from adventuring. So if that was the case, when you died from anything (adventuring, old age, etc.), that character is gone. Thus begins the perma-death debate. Personally, I wouldn't play a perma-death game as there are too many silly things (lag monster, griefing gamers) to cause you to die and I really wouldn't want to play a game where I have to re-roll characters a fair amount of times. No, perma-death, IMO, is best left for pencil and paper games.

ZuMonster

It makes a lot more sense if you picture LOTRO less like a simulation Middle Earth and more like the interactive, multiplayer story book it is. Just like like reading a book, you can set it down and then pick it back up a year later where you left off.